January 9, 2020 edition of the Bay Area Reporter by Bay Area Reporter

NYT history

The Academy expands

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Rocky Horror

Sharon McNight

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Serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities since 1971

Rick Gerharter

Participants start the 6.2-mile route of AIDS Walk San Francisco in Golden Gate Park July 14, 2019.

PRC to coproduce SF AIDS Walk

A busy year awaits SF mayor San Francisco Superior Court Judge Teri Jackson, left, embraces Mayor London Breed as she prepares to swear in the mayor to a four-year term Wednesday at City Hall.

by John Ferrannini

by Matthew S. Bajko

onprofit PRC will co-produce this year’s AIDS Walk San Francisco and be the primary beneficiary, hoping to reverse the trend of declining revenue from the event. PRC is partnering with San Francisco-based MZA Events, which originated the HIV/AIDS fundraiser in 1985 in Los Angeles. AIDS Walk San Francisco is an annual 10K walkathon that in 2019 raised $1.5 million (before administrative costs) for organizations that benefit people with HIV/AIDS, Brett Andrews, a gay man who is CEO of PRC, said in a phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter. The 2020 walk will be held July 19, according to the AIDS Walk website.

Financial background

This is the first year that PRC will be the primary beneficiary of the walk, the San Francisco version of which was founded in 1987, according to Andrews. PRC is an outgrowth of AIDS Benefits Counselors, which also started in 1987. Each city’s version of the AIDS Walk has a primary beneficiary, Andrews said. The Los Angeles walk primarily benefits nonprofit APLA Health, according to Andrews and the LA walk’s website, which promotes health care equity for LGBTs, HIV-positive people, and other historically marginalized groups. The New York City walk primarily benefits the Gay Men’s Health Crisis, according to its website. The B.A.R. had questions about who gets money from AIDS Walk San Francisco and the costs associated with it. In recent years revenue from the walk has decreased, while administrative expenses continue to be high, according to figures reviewed by the paper. Andrews wrote in a Wednesday, December 18, email that there is a licensing agreement whereby PRC can use the AIDS Walk logo and name, and also a “separate contract and schedule of MZA fees to produce and market the event.” Andrews said that he could not say how much PRC is going to pay MZA. When asked why, he said that nondisclosure was a term See page 2 >>

Vol. 50 • No. 02 • January 9-15, 2020

s London Breed enters her first full four-year term as mayor of San Francisco, she has a lengthy to-do list in 2020, from hiring several city department heads and dealing with expected budget deficits to pushing forward on a number of LGBT initiatives she has supported since first being elected to Room 200 at City Hall in June 2018.

After briefly serving as mayor in an interim capacity after the sudden death of Ed Lee in December 2017, Breed won the special election to serve out his term and stepped down as the District 5 supervisor. The city’s first African American female mayor, Breed faced little opposition in November as she sought a full mayoral term and was inaugurated in the City Hall Rotunda January 8. Foremost for the mayor in the coming months will be working with city leaders and

the Board of Supervisors to pass a two-year balanced budget by the summer. In midDecember Breed disclosed the city was projecting a budget shortfall of approximately $420 million over the next two fiscal years, out of an annual general fund budget of $6 billion, due to expenses outgrowing revenues. She instituted an edict for departments to prioritize the needs of the homeless and mental health issues when determining their See page 14 >> Rick Gerharter

Trans woman sues after surprise Christmas move to Texas ICE facility by John Ferrannini

he San Francisco Public Defender’s office filed a lawsuit in federal court January 3 on behalf of a transgender woman who is fighting deportation. Lexis Hernandez Avilez, 41, was brought to the United States from Mexico as a child and has been in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for about 14 months, according to court documents obtained by the Bay Area Reporter. In a statement January 3 from the public defender’s office, Avilez said, “The conditions of my detention have worsened and have had a huge impact on my mental health and my ability to move forward. I think this has been so cruel to me. ICE and the other officers know how difficult the last 14 months have been for me and yet have had no compassion for the way they detain me and move me around like I mean nothing.” The public defender’s office – which has been representing Avilez – brought the suit after Avilez was moved unexpectedly from the Yuba County Jail outside of Sacramento (which works with ICE on detaining people in the U.S. without legal permission), where she’d been detained, to an ICE facility in Texas on Christmas, without counsel being notified and after she was told

Courtesy GenderPortraits.com

A transgender woman being represented by the San Francisco Public Defender’s office was unexpectedly moved to a federal immigration facility in Texas on Christmas.

she was about to be released, according to court documents. “We represent people who have their immigration proceeding in San Francisco because the immigration court is here,” said Avilez’s attorney

{ FIRST OF THREE SECTIONS }

Hector Vega during a January 6 phone call with the B.A.R. There are only three immigration courts in California, the other two being in Los Angeles and Sacramento. Vega is seeking Avilez’s release, saying that the petition for a temporary restraining order is to “compel ICE/Yuba to take more immediate action on the case” either through releasing Avilez or by granting her a bond hearing in California. “We are seeking ICE immediately release Lexis due to the conditions of her confinement,” Vega wrote in an email to the B.A.R. January 6. “Alternately, to transfer her back to Yuba and grant her a bond hearing to determine whether her continued detention is warranted.” The conditions of Avilez’s confinement include her being treated as male, referred to using male pronouns and her former male name, and given male clothing, according to court documents. “Ms. Avilez now sits in a segregated cell, thousands of miles away from her pro bono attorney, her family, her treating medical professionals, and community members who have provided critical support throughout her gender transition,” the complaint filed by the public defender’s office said. “She continues to be detained indefinitely under conditions that imperil her health and safety.” See page 14 >>

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<< Community News

t City to renovate three health clinics in new year 2 • Bay Area Reporter • January 9-15, 2020

by John Ferrannini

hree of San Francisco’s 13 primary care clinics – including one in the Castro – are slated for renovations this year to add exam and consultation rooms, according to the Department of Public Health. The Castro-Mission Health Center, located at 3850 17th Street (between Sanchez and Noe streets), was closed in July 2019 and is expected to reopen in 2021 after renovations, according to a health department news release. Its operations have temporarily relocated to 995 Potrero Avenue Building 80, part of Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. The Castro-Mission location has 12 existing exam rooms; after the renovation, there will be 12 more exam rooms and four consultation rooms, according to Maricella Miranda, a spokeswoman for the health department. The Castro-Mission Health Center, opened in 1965 as Health Center No. 1, serves about 4,200 patients every year and will also be undergoing a seismic retrofit, according to Dr. Hali Hammer, the director of ambulatory care for the San Francisco Health Network. “Castro-Mission we think of as our epitome of community responsive health care,” Hammer said. “As you can tell by the name, it has a longstanding relationship with the gay community and it also has served the Latinx immigrant community in the Mission. Almost all the staff and providers at Castro-Mission are bilingual in Spanish; many are bicultural. “It was our second primary care center,” she added. “Ward 86 would be our first, really responding to the HIV epidemic in the early 1980s.” Commencement of construction at Castro-Mission has been delayed to

AIDS Walk

From page 1

of the contract. When asked why it’s a part of the contract, Andrews said, “It’s pretty standard,” citing mortgage and employment agreements. Andrews had initially said on the phone that PRC must pay money to MZA to use the AIDS Walk logo and name. He later said he conflated the fee schedule and the licensing agreement. “If we are going to use that name we have to pay a fee and we go out on our own for corporate and community fundraising,” Andrews initially said. But when asked in a Monday, December 16, phone call, MZA Events

Courtesy SFDPH

An artist’s rendering shows the exterior of the Castro-Mission Health Center.

spring or summer because of new air conditioning requirements. “We’ve had a delay because the mayor, in a really good move, mandated that all new construction include HVAC systems in response to what we’ve seen recently in San Francisco, which is higher temperatures – especially in the late summer and fall,” Hammer said. “A lot of our health centers don’t have HVAC so we have had to take a step back and look at our plans and budgeting.” San Francisco’s public health centers are accessible to people covered by government health insurance – MediCal and Medicare – and people who access health care through Healthy San Francisco, as well as people without any health insurance, but not to people who receive health insurance through private insurance companies, Hammer said. “We would love to eventually have a Covered California contract, but for

now, our primary care health centers are only for publicly-insured and uninsured people,” Hammer said. The public health centers were originally established during a boom in publicly-funded health care as a result of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society program. The original focus was heavy on immunizations, but general primary care has taken on a larger role in subsequent years. The construction at the clinics is estimated to cost between $63 million and $65 million, Hammer said. Of that, $50 million is coming out of a June 2016 bond that was passed by 79% of San Francisco voters. Between $13 million and $15 million will come out of other funds. For example, funding for elevators to the tune of $1.2 million to make top floors accessible to patients will come from the Mayor’s Office on Disability, Miranda said. The air conditioning was funded

CEO Craig Miller said that there is a licensing agreement but no licensing fee and that MZA has allowed PRC to use the name and logo free of charge. “PRC is not paying anything to be able to use the name,” Miller said. “The licensing agreement enables PRC to produce materials.” In June 2012, when the San Francisco AIDS Foundation was the primary beneficiary, it paid $212,000 to MZA, as the B.A.R. previously reported. Project Inform, which produced the event after SFAF, paid $137,000 to MZA for what is listed as “AIDS Walk services,” according to its IRS Form 990 for 2014. Miller has declined to be specific about fees and other costs associated

with the AIDS Walk. When asked in a Monday, December 23, email, Miller could not specify how much of the money raised will be used for charities and how much will be used for administration and the expenses associated with putting on the event. The most recent year for which the breakdown of administrative expenses to charity is available is 2017, Miller wrote in a Monday, January 6, email. In 2017, the walk raised $1,814,637 and $1,053,860 went to expenses (58%), leaving net proceeds to charity at only $586,277, according to figures Miller sent the B.A.R. the same day. When asked if there was a plan to reduce administrative overhead, AnSee page 14 >>

Jane Philomen Cleland

Department of Public Health officials Maricella Miranda, left; Kathy Jung; and Dr. Hali Hammer check out the work at the under-renovation Maxine Hall Health Center in the Western Addition.

through the federal government. The other two clinics undergoing renovations are the Maxine Hall Health Center at 1301 Pierce Street, which serves the Western Addition, and the Southeast Health Center at 2401 Keith Street, which serves the Bayview and Hunters Point neighborhoods. Maxine Hall was closed in November 2019 and its clinic has been relocated to 1181 Golden Gate Avenue. It is the only one of the three clinics currently under construction. When it reopens at the end of the year, Maxine Hall will see nine new patient rooms, a new group consultation room, a new elevator, and seismic safety improvements. The Southeast Health Center will be completely moved to a new 22,000 square foot location adjacent to its

current one. Construction on that new location will begin this year, and patients will continue to be seen at 2401 Keith Street until then. The two-story clinic will have 21 patient rooms. The side of the renovated Maxine Hall includes artwork from Win Ng, a Chinatown artist and designer who died in the 1990s but whose art is displayed around the world. The health department is holding a meeting Tuesday, January 28, at 6 p.m. to inform members of the public about its final plans for the Southeast Health Center, according to Miranda. The meeting will be held at 1751 Carroll Avenue. Together, the clinics serve over 12,000 San Franciscans, according to the health department. t

Rick Gerharter

Mike Mehr, from the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band, takes a break from the curbside pep band ensemble to join some of the thousands of marchers on the 2016 San Francisco AIDS Walk in Golden Gate Park.

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<< Open Forum

4 • Bay Area Reporter • January 9-15, 2020

Volume 50, Number 02 January 9-15, 2020 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman BARTAB EDITOR & EVENTS LISTINGS EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • John Ferrannini CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ray Aguilera • Tavo Amador • Race Bannon Roger Brigham • Brian Bromberger Victoria A. Brownworth • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Belo Cipriani • Dan Renzi Michael Flanagan • Jim Gladstone David Guarino • Liz Highleyman Brandon Judell • John F. Karr • Lisa Keen Matthew Kennedy • Joshua Klipp David Lamble • Max Leger David-Elijah Nahmod • Paul Parish Lois Pearlman • Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota Bob Roehr • Gregg Shapiro • Gwendolyn Smith Sari Staver • Tony Taylor • Charlie Wagner Ed Walsh • Cornelius Washington • Sura Wood ART DIRECTION Max Leger PRODUCTION/DESIGN Ernesto Sopprani PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland • FBFE Rick Gerharter • Gareth Gooch Jose Guzman-Colon • Rudy K. Lawidjaja Georg Lester • Dan Lloyd • Jo-Lynn Otto Rich Stadtmiller • Kelly Sullivan • Fred Rowe Steven Underhil • Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge • Christine Smith ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION Colleen Small Bogitini VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVERTISING Scott Wazlowski – 415.829.8937 NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

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Big steps needed for AIDS Walk

his year’s AIDS Walk San Francisco has a new co-producer, the nonprofit PRC, which presents an opportunity for organizing officials to offer a transparent evaluation of the costs associated with the event, and to revitalize it in order to increase the relatively tiny percentage of money that goes to various smaller HIV/ AIDS organizations that are not major beneficiaries. For 2020, Brett Andrews, CEO of PRC, told us the agency has committed to distributing $50,000 in grants to other organizations. He declined to share how much money PRC itself will receive from the walk, or what the administrative overhead is for the event. That’s unfortunate and he should release that information. PRC and MZA Events, which originated the walk in 1987 and is this year’s other co-producer, both insist that PRC will not have to pay a fee or licensing agreement to MZA for use of the AIDS Walk name and logo. “PRC is not paying anything to be able to use the name,” MZA CEO Craig Miller told us. “The licensing agreement enables PRC to produce materials.” Andrews initially said that PRC would have to pay MZA, but then said he was incorrect. MZA’s decision to waive the fee will save costs, as it has varied greatly over the years, from $212,000 in 2012 to $137,000 in 2014. But it is unclear whether any money will be paid to MZA under another description; previous producers made payments to MZA that were listed as “AIDS Walk services.” The sad fact is that the AIDS Walk has been bringing in less money for the last several years. In 2016, $2 million was raised, according to a news release at the time. In 2017 and 2018, the walk raised $1.8 million. Last year the figure was $1.5 million. So, there was a $500,000 drop off in three years, meanwhile, administrative overhead costs remained high. Back in 2012, when MZA cut ties with the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, we reported that expenses ranged from 32% (2007) to a whopping 65% (2011). The walk also brought in much more than it does today, $4.66 million in 2007 and $2.88

Rick Gerharter

People took part in the 2015 AIDS Walk San Francisco in Golden Gate Park.

million in 2011. Project Inform, which produced the walk in 2014 and 2015, had a goal of boosting revenue to the 2007 level; that didn’t happen. In 2017, the most recent figures available, the walk raised $1,814,637, but after $1,053,860 or 58% in expenses, only netted $586,277 for charity, according to figures provided by Miller. If costs to stage the event continue to exceed the amount raised for HIV/AIDS charities, it would be more effective economically for donors to give to a nonprofit directly. But there are intangible benefits to the AIDS Walk, and that’s what PRC and MZA are relying on for 2020. The walk, which takes place in July in Golden Gate Park, has raised more than $90 million in 30-plus years. That has enabled smaller organizations to receive grants that they might not otherwise have access to. It allows companies to participate through organizing teams of walkers, which benefits HIV/AIDS organizations and provides good PR for the companies. It brings thousands of people together in the common pursuit of raising HIV/AIDS awareness, which is spread to the broader community through news coverage and outreach.

With revenue decreasing, the walk needs to be restructured. The AIDS Walk used to provide $96,000 in grants to smaller nonprofits. This year it will be only $50,000. Andrews should disclose all costs the AIDS Walk will incur, and explain to the community whether those expenses will be borne by his agency or be passed on to all nonprofits in the form of reduced grants. Miller, too, has declined to specify costs for the event. PRC must reinvigorate the walk to increase donations, and that begins with a transparent evaluation to build trust and support with all the participants. Since PRC is providing office space for the walk, and staff hours – another cost savings – it’s also in a unique position to draw on clients for paid support positions in the effort. This type of third-party fundraising model has been around for years, and can be successful. Now that people with HIV/AIDS are living longer, donor fatigue has set in, even in the LGBTQ community. In the last decade, community support and donations were directed to the marriage equality campaign, sometimes at the expense of other issues. Looking ahead, trans rights will continue to be at the forefront and many will be donating to their preferred candidates in the 2020 presidential race. These are just some of the challenges that this year’s co-producers must face in order to turn the AIDS Walk around. t

My father went to Guadalcanal; I went to Virginia by Charlie Spiegel

against Barack Obama’s presidency. We knocked on doors and learned grew up with my father’s World about incredibly surprisingly diverse, War II stories of fighting on what I modern American suburbs, filled with later learned was one of the important a high proportion of immigrants from island battles across the Pacific: GuaEast Asia, Vietnam, Korea, the Middle dalcanal. My father was clear he was East, and elsewhere. It was a reminder not brave; he trained in radio and as of what America can truly be and is – a an officer in an attempt to avoid being country enriched by people born elseshot at. Nonetheless, he and his four where, speaking with different accents, Courtesy Charlie Spiegel brothers enlisted and fought in World but building common better futures, Charlie Spiegel War II, or the later Korean War. personally and communally. We were I was reminded of my father last inspired by an East Indian woman who fall when I heard our congresswomsaid that she couldn’t yet vote because she was a an, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Frangreen card holder, but would be applying for citicisco), speak to our moment. She said, “We don’t zenship “to vote next year.” seek impeachment, but the times have found us.” We succeeded in part because many people I believe the current political engagement is my made phone calls to Virginia voters from San generation’s World War II, albeit much safer. Francisco for www.demaction.us, http:// Along with many Californians, I engaged in www.sisterdistrict.org; http://www. that successful “battle” recently in Virginia. That swingleft.org, and our local http:// was the only statewide election in the 2019 off-year www.resistry.net. People wrote elections to flip a state Legislature from red to blue. postcards to Virginia and Louisiana The addition of wins by Democrats for governor voters at our Noe Valley Farmers in Kentucky and Louisiana (re-elected) created a Market (through ActionSF). It’s mini blue wave. The new Legislature will, among the same way we flipped seven other things, determine congressional districts in California congressional districts “purple” Virginia for the next decade. in the Central Valley in 2018 When I flew to Virginia November 1 with (that many of us had only driven one San Francisco friend to knock on voters’ through before) and in Orange doors, the Democratic challenger we walked for County, which returned the House had four other legislative priorities he wanted of Representatives speakership to Pelosi instead us to stress: 1. For Virginia to pass the Equal of the ever-feckless Republican, Paul Ryan. That Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution; 2. difference clearly showed with Democratic ConReasonable gun regulation; 3. Protect women’s gressmen Jerry Nadler (New York) and Adam right to choose; and 4. Statewide protection Schiff (California) responsibly and forcefully for LGBTQ people. This was in Virginia, which chairing their impeachment committees rather contained the Civil War Confederacy’s own than Republican Devin Nunes (California). This capital –Richmond – and the legislative district was solely due to Democrats taking control of we walked included the Bull Run and Manassas the House one year ago. Civil War battlefields. Those visits, along with Volunteering our time in Virginia was a small the current politics of largely Southern-accented sacrifice for us, but in a similar vein as the Civil white male Republican Congressmen who voted War there, and as my father and so many other against impeachment, confirms that the Civil Americans fought in World War II and other War is very much unsettled in American histimes, it was to save our country, farm by farm, tory to this day. It further explains the backlash island by island, challenge by challenge. For our

generation, it is purple districts and state election by election, and with far greater personal safety. If you are interested in giving other than your time, these groups variously accept your dollars and air miles. Most importantly, give of yourself in any way. Channeling your anger and anxiety into action is far better than avoiding or stewing in it. I’m so happy to be able to respond enthusiastically to our “Uncle Sam” moment. He also wants you, and you, and you (as Harvey Milk said), to fight in Texas and Arizona in January and continuing in Colorado, Ohio, and Maine, and elsewhere throughout 2020. I hope you join our brigades: the moment has once again met us. It’s time for a 2020 New Year’s resolution to get involved. Swing Left San Francisco helps people from the Bay Area take effective action to restore our democracy, fix our broken Congress, and elect a new leader to the White House. www.swingleftsanfrancisco@gmail.com. Organizing for America Berkeley and its phone bank coalition have developed a strategy for recruiting and organizing volunteers and building civic engagement capacity at a distance. For info email susanne.ofaberkeley@gmail.com. Commit to Canvass Collective East Bay volunteers plan to fly to Arizona and Texas and elsewhere in 2020. For information, visit https://swingleft.org/p/swing-left-texasHD28-gotv-week-of-action. The aforementioned Resistry.net connects you to local groups in San Francisco. Or email charlesspiegellaw@gmail.com. t Charlie Spiegel’s Bay Area legal practice includes pre- and post-nuptial planning and agreements, divorce and custody mediation, adoption, surrogacy and real estate matters. Spiegel served as co-chair of the national board of Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, and was a founding executive director of Our Family Coalition, the Bay Area’s LGBT family organization. For more information, visit charlesspiegellaw.com.

Politics>>

January 9-15, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 5

Housing and mental health top of mind for SF Supe Mandelman

by Mathew S. Bajko

ust as San Francisco Mayor London Breed highlighted the city’s housing crisis and need for increased mental health services in her inaugural address this week, so too did District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman in discussing what his priorities will be in 2020. Meeting with the Bay Area Reporter last month to layout his legislative priorities, Mandelman said at the top of his to-do list will be implementing the ideas generated by a meth task force he co-chaired last year and ensuring his district benefits from the $600 million affordable housing bond passed in November. The measure included language that steers the funding toward areas of the city that has seen little new affordable housing be built in recent years, such as the Castro, Noe Valley, Diamond Heights, and Glen Park neighborhoods he represents at City Hall. Mandelman, a gay lawyer and the lone LGBT member of the board, is particularly interested in seeing projects be funded in the city’s LGBT Castro district where evictions and high housing costs have led many residents to be forced out of the city. “It has become clear to me that we do not have enough locked sub acute facilities in the city,” said Mandelman, referring to places where those dealing with severe mental issues can receive the services they need. While he would like to see the city open a meth sobering center in his district, Mandelman told the B.A.R. he expects the first one will likely open in the Tenderloin. He is working with Breed’s administration to situate a Navigation Center for homeless individuals in District 8 and hopes to have a site selected early this year. “We have our sights on two spots, hoping one or both of them will pan out,” said Mandelman, who declined to disclose the locations. He is again serving on the supervisors’ budget and finance committee this year, giving him a prominent perch to direct the city’s spending priorities as City Hall deals with projected deficits over the next two fiscal years. He will also continue to chair the board’s public safety and neighborhood services committee. Since being elected supervisor in June 2018, Mandelman has worked with the police department to increase foot patrols in the Castro and other commercial corridors in response to merchant complaints about thefts and the behavior of people living on the streets. Additional homeless outreach is also being provided in the neighborhood. Thus, Mandelman told the B.A.R. he believes the efforts have resulted in some improvements but wants to get a better assessment of the situation this year and what else can be done. “I think we would have hoped that we would be seeing a more dramatic improvement than we are,” he said. He suggested it may make sense for the city to designate a location where homeless people can set up their tents at night, rather than merely having city workers and police clear out tent encampments at one spot to see them return in a different spot the next day. “What we’re doing now feels very inhumane,” said Mandelman. “I want to think about, are we, is what we’re doing now going to get us there, or do we need to do some kind of radical re-envisioning.”

Rick Gerharter

Supervisor Rafael Mandelman

Also top of mind for Mandelman is addressing the glut of retail vacancies in the Castro, particularly along the upper Market Street corridor. He plans to assist the National AIDS Memorial Grove find a location in the area where it can display segments of the AIDS quilt now that is has taken over stewardship of it. And Mandelman pledged to help the GLBT Historical Society find a suitable site in the Castro for its planned permanent history museum. “We do have these large buildings that we need to figure out something to do with,” said Mandelman, referring to several of the more expansive vacant storefronts in the Castro. He also told the B.A.R. he hopes to see plans finalized for the future of Harvey Milk Plaza, the public parklet above the Castro Muni station named in honor of the city’s first gay supervisor. In light of a new elevator bank set to be built in the plaza later this year, some would like to see a complete overhaul of the area, while others are arguing for a more minimalist upgrade. “The elevator is going in, so we’ll continue to push for some kind of peaceful resolution of the disputes about the rest of it,” said Mandelman. Assisting Mandelman this year will be a new legislative aide, Jacob Bintliff, who will be leaving his job with the city’s planning department to start working at City Hall January 21. Bintliff is replacing Kyle Smeallie, who is now a legislative aide for newly sworn-in District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston. The hiring of Bintliff, a gay man who lives in Oakland, means all three of Mandelman’s legislative aides are LGBT, as already working for him have been Tom Temprano, who is gay, and Erin Mundy, who is queer. “I love what I am doing at planning, but this was an opportunity to branch out even more,” said Bintliff, who in addition to focusing on land use and planning concerns will also be Mandelman’s point person for issues in Noe Valley. Another key concern for Mandelman this year will be addressing the city’s transit system, having co-led a task force last year that zeroed in on how to fix Muni. As it happens Breed hired one of his constituents, Jeffrey Tumlin, a gay man who lives in Noe Valley, as the city’s director of transportation. “I will spend, I think, a chunk of [this] year trying to implement them,” predicted Mandelman.

SF D7 supe race headed for rematch

Two days after the start of 2020, tech investor Ben Matranga filed paperwork with the city’s ethics

commission to begin raising money for a second stab at being elected to the District 7 seat on the Board of Supervisors. In 2016 Matranga, a former adviser to the late mayor Ed Lee, came up short in his bid to represent San Francisco’s neighborhoods west of Twin Peaks. It means the fall race is headed for a rematch between Matranga and Joel Engardio, a gay man and former journalist who also ran unsuccessfully for the seat four years ago against the incumbent supervisor, Norman Yee, who is now president of the board. Yee is barred by term limits from seeking a third term this year. Matranga, a managing partner at Connectivity Capital, and his wife live in West Portal and have an infant daughter. Six years ago he had led the city’s Vision Zero project to end pedestrian deaths. “I am running for supervisor to give voice to the young families who are trying to make it in our city and to give a voice for the people who want city hall to be held accountable for how our tax dollars are spent,” said Matranga, a co-founder of the emergency response group Resilient West Portal. He told the B.A.R. this week that he plans to officially kickoff his campaign sometime after the March 3 primary but is also already reaching out to supporters to line up endorsements. Former supervisor and Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, now state treasurer, is once again backing Matranga, as are former supervisors Angela Alioto and Annemarie Conroy and Lenette Thompson, a lesbian mom of four who is a lieutenant with the city’s fire department and had sought a school board seat in 2018. “We are going full speed ahead. No question about it,” said Matranga. Also pulling papers for the race last month was Patrick McGuire, who owns the Java Beach cafe near Ocean Beach. “I thought that I’d give it a go to serve our city,” McGuire wrote in a Facebook post December 17. “I’m a San Franciscan for all San Franciscan’s ... my credentials for this job ... common sense ... that all ... just common sense.” Engardio, a copywriter and senior manager for content marketing at Firebrand Communications, lives with his husband, Lionel Hsu, in the Lake Merced neighborhood. In October he announced his third bid for the seat, having first ran against Yee in 2012. Former supervisors Katy Tang, Carmen Chu, now the city’s assessor-recorder, and Scott Wiener, a gay man now serving in the state Senate, have endorsed him. “This is an open seat so I expect a contested race. I’m focused on my own campaign and meeting the needs of westside residents in District 7,” Engardio told the B.A.R. this week. “The good news is that we’re ahead of the race with nearly 300 donors and $65,000 cash on hand to start the election year.” As the B.A.R. has previously noted, Yee has urged his aide, Ivy Lee, to enter the race. But she has yet to pull papers. Whether it is Lee or another candidate, a prominent progressive is expected to compete for the seat. t Political Notes, the notebook’s online companion, returns Monday, January 13. Keep abreast of the latest LGBT political news by following the Political Notebook on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/politicalnotes. Got a tip on LGBT politics? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 8298836 or e-mail m.bajko@ebar.com.

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t With New Year’s kiss, SF gay couple makes history 6 • Bay Area Reporter • January 9-15, 2020

by Matthew S. Bajko

ulian Sanders wanted to ring in 2020 in Las Vegas, but his boyfriend of three years, Jay Morales, insisted they return to Manhattan to celebrate the start of the decade in Times Square like they had done to kickoff 2018. Sanders relented, and the San Francisco couple ended up making journalistic history. A photographer for the New York Times, Calla Kessler, captured the moment that Sanders and Morales kissed at the stroke of midnight. Within minutes she had transmitted her photo to her editors, who selected it to run on the cover of the newspaper’s early January 1 edition. It is believed to be the first time a photo of a same-sex couple kissing at the yearly celebration has appeared on the front page of the Times, according to the newspaper. Almost every year since 1998 the Times has published a photo of celebrants at Times Square on the cover of its first issue of the new year. “I had my phone out to do the countdown to midnight. I didn’t even know she was taking the photo,” Morales told the Bay Area Reporter by phone January 6 a few hours prior to boarding a return flight home. In the photo taken by Kessler, Morales, 38, can be seen holding up his cellphone while his head is turned to the right in order to kiss Sanders, 30, whose outstretched right arm is extended up into the air. Confetti is falling all around them, while their friends Fran Torres and Santiago Rios are locked in their own kiss in front of them. Also to the right of the two couples is their friend, Sabrina Best, seen looking skyward.

‘Joking all night’

“We knew Calla was a photographer with the New York Times, as she showed us her credentials. She was there with us for a while, too, about

an hour or so. We were joking all night we are going to be on the cover but didn’t actually think we would be on the cover,” recalled Sanders, who awoke in the afternoon of January 1 to see Kessler had tagged him on her Instagram post about the couple’s picture being chosen for the front page. “She was super excited her photo was chosen for the cover. That was maybe 2 p.m. on New Year’s Day, we were still waking up from the night before.” Unfortunately for the couple’s friends and family in the Bay Area, the printed editions of the January 1 New York Times delivered to subscribers in California featured a different photo Kessler had taken of New Year’s Eve revelers in Times Square. A spokeswoman for the paper told the B.A.R. the one with Morales and Sanders only ran in a select few printed papers available in New York. “The image was only published in the late New York City print edition. I don’t have an exact count but it’s not a large run,” Danielle Rhoades Ha, vice president of communications for the New York Times Company, wrote in an emailed reply. Thus, Sanders’ mom couldn’t find any of the papers featuring her son after trying to buy copies at multiple stores in Austin, Texas. Nor could Sanders locate any of the papers featuring him and Morales after a near two-hour search through Midtown Manhattan late in the afternoon on New Year’s Day. “We were all dumbfounded. It was weird no one could find a paper,” said Sanders, who even popped into the offices of the New York Times that Wednesday to try to locate the edition featuring him and his friends. To his astonishment, none of the newsstands he found that afternoon carried the Times. One newsstand operator told him to check the ones located in the subway stations, but Sanders could only find a local tabloid newspaper at the belowground stands.

Calla Kessler/NYT via Facebook

Julian Sanders holds his arm up as he kisses Jay Morales in a New Year’s photo that made the front page of the January 1 New York Times.

“I walked all around Midtown Manhattan and could not find a single New York Times,” recalled Sanders. “I got back to the hotel and went to the gym and saw a New York Times there and it was the other photo on the cover.” As it happened, Kessler contacted the couple that day to ask them some questions for a write up about her and her fellow photographer Brittainy Newman’s strategy for their assignment in Times Square. She offered to give them copies of the paper if they stopped by the newsroom last Thursday, but Sanders said even she had to scramble to locate the two she was able to scrounge up. “She had to talk to her editor who talked to the printing hub and even then she was able to only get me two copies,” said Sanders, who gave one to Torres, who has been dating Rios for eight months. Like their female friends, Sanders and Morales are flight attendants for Alaska Airlines and met on the job. Sanders, who grew up in Dallas, has lived in San Francisco for close to 11 years, while Morales grew up in the

South Bay and has lived in the city the last 15 years. Having enjoyed the energy and the people of Times Square when they were first there on December 31, 2017, Morales wanted to return one more time. Sanders wasn’t as certain, as that year was freezing cold, and the couple didn’t settle on their New Year’s plans until just before Christmas. “Jay was really adamant about going to New York. We went back and forth for a while about it. ... I was really against it, going back to New York. As always, Jay won,” joked Sanders. “I guess it was fate, right,” added Morales. “I am really glad we didn’t go to Vegas.” Based on the “Inside the Times” feature printed in the paper’s January 4 issue, the photographers purposefully wanted to shoot a diverse group of celebrants and looked for positions in the crowd to do so by 10:30 p.m. Morales and Torres are Filipino American, Sanders is African American and Mexican, Rios is Colombian American, and Best is African American. Plus, they had a hotel room nearby and special late access to the view-

ing area in Times Square through a friend, so they likely looked fresh in their outfits compared to the people who had arrived earlier in the day, surmised Sanders. “We were just joking that we look really great and all dressed up. Calla came over and told us, ‘You look amazing.’ We told her the same thing,” said Sanders. “We started talking to her. We had smuggled in some drinks and were having a good time with her.” It also helped they were standing near a group of service members who stood out in the crowd, said Sanders. Kessler recounted in the news feature that she had planned to shoot an updated version of Alfred Eisenstaedt’s iconic photo at the end of World War II of a serviceman kissing a woman in Times Square but was thwarted in doing so when she couldn’t find the right angle. “With diversity in mind,” noted the article, Kessler turned her camera lens on the same-sex couple as they kissed. Due to their location, said Sanders, there were reporters all over and an Asian news crew was interviewing people near them. Thus, he didn’t really think about having their photo be captured for posterity in the moment it was taken. “I knew Calla was there and all of a sudden she was just gone,” he said. “We were just celebrating the New Year at that time and we thought we would never see her again.” It wasn’t until Kessler mentioned to him on the phone the historic nature of the photo she was able to take of the couple that Sanders said he recognized its significance. He plans to order more copies of the printed edition of the paper featuring their photo now that he is back home in San Francisco. As for Morales, he told the B.A.R., “Definitely one of the most epic New Year’s. Just being with my friends and being on the cover of the New York Times; it was surreal.”t

Gay SF man was deported in error, federal judge rules by John Ferrannini

federal judge has ordered that a gay San Francisco man who was residing in the United States without legal status was deported erroneously. Judge Charles Breyer of the U.S. District Court for Northern California, brother of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, or-

dered December 18 that Oumar Yaide (known in court documents as Abderman Yaide) has to be returned to the U.S. from the African nation of Chad. “It’s a really incredible decision and we are glad to have him back soon,” said Sean Lai McMahon, Yaide’s attorney, in a phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter

January 7. Yaide, 31, was seeking asylum in the U.S., where he had been residing without legal permission since 2009, according to court documents. Yaide initially applied for asylum on the grounds that he is a member of the Gorane ethnic group, sometimes called the Daza-

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Courtesy Sean Lai McMahon

Oumar Yaide

ga ethnic group, which is a persecuted minority in his native land. After the first claim for asylum was denied, Yaide came out as gay in 2019 and wanted his case reopened on that basis, according to court documents. “He was reluctant to talk about it for a long time because he was worried about being sent back to a country where it can get you killed,” said Haley Kay, an Oakland woman who has known Yaide for about five years. Homosexuality had been legal in Chad until 2017, when it was criminalized. Sexual relations between people of the same sex are punishable with up to three years in prison and a fine of up to 500,000 Central African CFA francs (about $852), according to Chapter II of Title VII of Chad’s penal code.

Agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took Yaide into custody in August. At the time he was working at a restaurant and lived in the Mission, Kay said. He was held in Yuba County Jail (outside Sacramento), which contracts with ICE to hold people in the U.S. without legal permission. Yaide’s friends were upset when they learned he had been detained. “The day we found out Oumar had been picked up by ICE, we were really distraught and wanted to talk about it,” Kay said. “We met at a bar for a drink and talked about what we knew about the immigration system, which it turned out wasn’t much.” At that bar meeting, the friends decided to start a GoFundMe camSee page 8 >>

<< Business News

8 • Bay Area Reporter • January 9-15, 2020

LGBT social club expansion brings public programs by Matthew S. Bajko

he said lives in Europe but has never met, isn’t interested in selling it at the moment. One idea they are pursuing, said Miller, is creating their own version of the board game “Clue” using The Academy’s various rooms. “Maybe by Christmas this year,’” he said. To learn more about the social club and how to become a member, or to rent out is various rooms for private events, visit its website at https://academy-sf.com/.

s it approaches its third anniversary, an LGBT social club in San Francisco’s Castro district is expanding, opening the doors to an increase in membership and more offerings for non-club members. Known as The Academy, gay co-owners and friends Nate Bourg and Paul Miller opened the social club May 31, 2017 in a portion of the building located at 2166 Market Street, a short walk from the Church Muni Metro Station. Their aim was to provide an outlet where LGBT people could form friendships outside a bar or nightclub environment. Their concept proved successful, with paid memberships surpassing 350 people by the end of 2019. In late summer they took over the lease for the building’s second floor after insurer State Farm vacated offices it had there. The Academy now occupies the entire property, and an official grand opening of the new space is being planned for early February. Over the last several months they have worked with Miller’s father-inlaw contractor, Mathew Ringhofer, and local designer Scott McMahan of Scott Robert Design to remodel the roughly 1,000 square foot area to match the club’s gothic Victorian aesthetic. It now sports chandeliers, settees, a “secret room” dubbed the Reflection Room, another called the Boardroom, and a purple paint color known as “Wicked.” “We’ve completely redone the upstairs,” said Miller as he showed off the front parlor area – christened the Club Room with windows that look out onto Market Street – to the Bay Area Reporter this month. “We took some walls down to open the space up and redid the bathrooms.” The second floor has its own music theme – jazz – and will have a rotating art installation. For the grand opening photos of local community members used to create a card deck have been mounted on the walls throughout the various rooms. In the Boardroom will be a headdress donated by Sister Roma, a member of the charitable drag nun group the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. In November, The Academy inducted Roma as its inaugural Legends member, an initiative born out of the club’s desire to pass on the history of the local LGBT community. “We want to have a Legends Archive and are asking notable San Franciscans to donate items to it. We will be inducting one person a year

Rick Gerharter

Paul Miller, co-owner of The Academy, shows off the new Club Room at the social club.

into our Legends Hall of Fame,” said Miller. “Historians remember the people we tell them to remember. We hope to say this person is important; it is not just about Harvey Milk.” But Milk is still honored. A display of newspaper clippings about Milk, the city’s first openly gay elected supervisor who was assassinated 11 months after taking office in 1978, will be installed on the second floor. “We don’t want it to feel like a museum but incorporate it into the décor,” explained Miller. With the added space The Academy plans to bring on upward of 70 new members by July. Next month, its annual tiered membership fees will increase by $25 and will range from $125 to $175, though it does offer financial assistance to those interested in becoming a member but who have limited means. “I think people like having a community space where they can get together and interact,” said Miller. “I think it serves a need in a time and a place where people are realizing the value of building a community for yourself.” In an emailed reply, Bourg told the B.A.R. there are myriad opportunities for how the club can utilize the additional floor in the building. With roughly 3,000 square feet of space at its disposal, the club can now host simultaneous events in the different spaces and match its various offerings, from book club gatherings and discussion groups to birthday parties and its “Academy Homeroom” classes open to the public, to the most appropriate room in the club. “It has been very gratifying to see the growth of The Academy since we opened two years ago (three

years in May!). When the opportunity came up to take over the top floor, we couldn’t turn it down,” wrote Bourg. “We never want the space to feel crowded, and having the whole building allows us to ensure that level of comfort and stay true to who we are.” Since it opened, the social club has instituted a number of changes, such as revamping the building’s basement into a speakeasy-type environment and moving away from selling furnishings as was initially planned. Because they occupy a former retail space – Klotz Watches & Clocks had operated there but closed in 2015, while decades ago the site was home to the notorious gay bar The Balcony – Bourg and Miller lease out a sidewalk fronting glass-enclosed space as a barbershop. Last April, in response to complaints about the lack of a fuller retail component, the co-owners obtained a change in their zoning to be classified as a general use establishment. They also were granted limited use of the property’s rear yard space, but have yet to take full advantage of it as they work on getting final approvals from the city’s various departments. “Our hope is that the process gets fully wrapped up within the next two months,” Bourg told the B.A.R. “It’s less bureaucratic and more related to the quirks of old buildings, and making sure that all of the T’s are crossed with the various departments who have to sign off.” Last year, The Academy launched its Academy Homeroom series of classes as a way to invite in the public to utilize the space and perhaps then become members. This Friday, January 10, it is presenting a health class and on January 23 is hosting a figure drawing class, each of which cost $15 for non-members of the club. “One of our focuses is not to be the social club on the hill but a community resource,” said Miller in explaining the idea behind opening up the classes to the public. As for the possibility of buying the property someday now that they are the lone tenant, Miller told the B.A.R. that their landlord, a gay man

Deported

From page 6

paign to raise money for Yaide. Between that and other fundraisers, Yaide’s friends raised $14,000, Kay said, which they used for rent on his San Francisco apartment and to give him money he could use at the jail commissary. (The GoFundMe campaign is now over.) It was when they couldn’t find his information to give him money in jail that Yaide’s friends found out he’d been deported. In November – before the mo-

Untitled-12 1

1/8/20 12:28 PM

CA utilities lag on LGBT contracts

Five years after California enacted a law calling on the state’s public utilities to increase their contracting with LGBT-owned companies, the initiative has produced lackluster results, according to a new report. The 2019 Supplier Diversity Report Card, produced by the Greenling Institute and released Wednesday, January 8, concluded that the public utility companies’ “spending on LGBT-owned suppliers saw some improvement, but still has a long way to go.” In an interview ahead of the report’s release, coauthor Paul Goodman told the B.A.R. that one reason might be the lack of LGBT employees at the utilities who can champion the issue of ensuring certified LGBT-owned businesses are included in their company’s diversity contracting pool. “Utilities are not hiring enough LGBT employees internally; that is a huge factor,” said Goodman, Greenlining’s technology equity director and board president of the Conference of California Public Utility Counsel. “If you have folks on your procurement team who are LGBT, they may be a little bit more aware we need to do more outreach to LGBT contractors.” One issue deflating the contracting statistics for LGBT businesses in the report, which are based on 2018 spending figures, is that utilities may have contracts with businesses that aren’t certified as being LGBT-owned, said Goodman. Also, if a business falls under two diversity categories, such as African American and LGBT, it can only report the contract under one category, not both. It is expected that there won’t be significant improvements in the LGBT contracts category until after 2021, as that year the California Public Utilities Commission should be setting target goals for procurement from LGBT-owned businesses for the utility companies to meet. “The lack of existing target goals may be responsible for the wide variance in LGBT spending from company to company; accordingly, Greenlining has applied a somewhat lenient grading metric in this category,” explains the advocacy organization in its report. “However, the outstanding performance of a few companies shows the potential of a strong commitment to LGBT tion to reopen Yaide’s asylum case on the grounds of his being gay could be heard – he was flown by ICE to Chad. A habeas corpus petition was filed, but by the time the court enjoined ICE, Yaide had already left U.S. airspace, according to court documents. The federal government argued before Breyer December 4 that the judge did not have the ability to hear the case asking that Yaide be returned so that the court could adjudicate his asylum claim because Yaide was no longer in ICE custody following his

contracting and should guide the CPUC in setting target goals.” LGBT contracting was weak across the board for the various utility categories, according to the report. It noted that the energy utilities’ spending percentage on LGBT businesses “was the low point in an otherwise strong performance on supplier diversity.” Of the four energy companies operating in the state, two received failing grades – SoCalGas and Pacific Gas & Electric Co. – and two earned C grades – San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison. The report concluded that the phone and cable industry’s LGBT spending “was extremely disappointing, with only two companies reporting more than zero spending on contracts with LGBT businesses.” They were Cox ($0.7 million) and AT&T California ($0.06 million). “The cable companies really need to step up their game,” said Goodman. AT&T Wireless and Verizon Wireless both earned C grades, while Sprint received an F. The three companies’ LGBT spending was among the lowest across all industries, the report found, while TMobile was one of the best, earning the company an A grade on LGBT contracting despite its modest percentage of spending 0.51% with such companies. The cellphone provider, according to the report, “has historically built ties with the LGBT community, spent almost $18 million with LGBT companies, more than any other company, almost twice the spending of the energy industry ($9.2 million) and water industry ($10.4 million), and over 25 times the spending of the phone and cable industry…” Suburban Water Systems reported the second highest dollar spending among all the companies and the highest spending percentage of any company, found the report. Meanwhile, noted the report, Liberty Utilities’ LGBT spending dropped precipitously from 9.28% in 2017 to zero percent in 2018. The report is seen as a way to urge the companies to increase their diversity contracts across the board. It was not shared with any of the utility companies ahead of its release. “We are not asking all of these groups to share the same pie; we want more pie for everybody,” explained Goodman. “We want utilities to be really serious about these programs.” New laws enacted January 1, which the Greenlining Institute helped pass in 2019, call for the state’s insurance providers and hospitals to increase their contracts with businesses owned by LGBT individuals, women, people with disabilities and other minorities. To download a copy of the report about the state’s utility companies, visit https://greenlining.org/ publications/2020/2019-supplierdiversity-report-card/. t Got a tip on LGBT business news? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 829-8836 or e-mail m.bajko@ ebar.com.

deportation. In his ruling, however, Breyer wrote that “Yaide has a constitutional right to procedural due process.” “(Yaide) faces the loss of his right to have his motion to reopen adjudicated, torture, imprisonment, and death,” Breyer wrote. “For its part, the government identifies no hardship it will undergo.” McMahon said that Yaide is still in Chad and that as of Tuesday See page 9 >>

Queer Reading >>

January 9-15, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 9

Crawford talks about Whitney Houston during SF visit by Sari Staver

obyn Crawford, longtime friend, personal assistant, and onetime lover of the late pop singer Whitney Houston, finally tells all in her new memoir about the relationship the two women had after meeting as teenagers in New Jersey. Although fans suspected the two were romantically involved, the nature of their relationship was never discussed in public, until late last year, when Dutton published Crawford’s celebrity tell-all book, “A Song for You: My Life with Whitney Houston.” The simple answer is yes, the two began a romantic relationship almost immediately, consummated but, according to the book, their life in the bedroom ended quickly. So if readers are hoping for a book filled with tidbits about lesbian sex, look elsewhere. But the book does have tales of love and devotion. Last month, as part of her national book tour, Crawford, 59, stopped in San Francisco where she told a rapt audience at the Commonwealth Club how her life with Houston came about and how it’s been since the two dissolved their business relationship in 2000, 12 years before Houston died February 11, 2012 of accidental drowning and the effects of heart disease and cocaine in her Los Angeles hotel room. Houston was 48. Crawford and Houston met in 1980 when both women were camp counselors at a community center in East Orange, New Jersey. They became best friends – and practically inseparable – almost immediately, a friendship that would last two decades, ending after the singer’s drug use and her turbulent marriage to R&B star Bobby Brown drove them apart. The pair moved in together as soon as they could, according to Crawford. Their sexual relationship was short lived, with Houston giving her friend a bible, explaining that people would “never leave us alone” if word got out. But the two remained close friends, living and traveling together. Crawford was Houston’s assistant, gatekeeper, and scheduler so the celebrity could focus on recording and performing. According to Crawford, the women both experimented with pot as teenagers, moving on to cocaine, but vowed to quit before Houston “got famous.” Crawford quit but Houston didn’t, with the singer’s drug use spiraling so out of control that Crawford pulled together an intervention of friends and family, a tactic that didn’t succeed.

Deported

From page 8

afternoon nobody knows when Yaide is returning stateside. “I’ve talked to him on the phone. He is moving around to try and stay safe,” McMahon said. “It’s hard to get a hold of him because he doesn’t always have reception. We’re trying to get all the documents in order for him to return.” After Yaide returns, the court will schedule another hearing to decide whether to reopen his asylum case. “I hope it’s a positive decision and he’ll get an asylum hearing again,” McMahon said. Kay remains optimistic that she will see her friend again. “He’s really kind and loyal and loving and super funny,” she said. “He’s being brought back for a reason.” The San Francisco ICE enforcement and removal operations of-

Sari Staver

Robyn Crawford talked about her friendship with the late Whitney Houston during a stop in San Francisco to promote her memoir.

Crawford’s relationship with Houston’s family was rocky, she conceded, each viewing the other as an opportunist ready to raid the singer’s bank account. Complicating the situation was the fact that Houston’s brother was also her drug dealer for a period, Crawford explained. Once Houston got together with Brown, the once glamorous singer went into a steady

decline of no-shows. Brown abused Houston physically and emotionally, according to the book. When Houston told her husband that she and Crawford had had a brief romantic relationship, Brown’s objections to her ex-lover became more vocal. Crawford said the two “grew apart,” with Crawford finally deciding that the arguments she was having with the couple were getting increasingly frequent and bitter. When Crawford left Houston’s em-

ploy, “I started over,” she explained. Crawford’s life blossomed while Houston’s circumstances continued to deteriorate. “I helped her for as long as I could and after that, I realized I had to help myself,” she said. Crawford moved to Los Angeles for a year, managing a band while she tried to figure out “what would be next,” she said. “I never intended to settle in California but I wanted to give Robyn a new life.” After moving back to New Jersey, Crawford began dating a longtime friend, Lisa Hintelmann. The couple moved in together in suburban New Jersey, with Crawford launching a career as a personal trainer, working one-on-one with clients. In 2009, after adopting two children, Crawford said she rebranded herself as the family’s primary caretaker while her spouse worked as a publishing executive. Asked about the contrast of traveling first class around the world to a stay-at-home mom of two, Crawford said, “Yes, I’ve had two very different lives. But a lot of what I learned from my years with Whitney” have helped her to keep the family’s schedule working smoothly, she said. “We’re a solid couple and a solid family,” said Crawford.

“While Houston’s life ended tragically, I hope people will remember the talent” and joy she brought into people’s lives when she sang. That’s the part I try to remember, too.” t

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<< Community News

10 • Bay Area Reporter • January 9-15, 2020

Oakland Pride loses offices to clubs’ closure by John Ferrannini

he conversion of the building that houses Oakland LGBT bars Club 21 and Club BnB into office space means that Oakland Pride is losing its offices, according to an Oakland Pride news release issued January 3. As the Bay Area Reporter previously reported December 12, Club 21 and Club BnB are slated to close later this month after the building they are housed in at 2120 Broadway was sold to San Francisco-based real estate firm Ellis Partners. Ellis Partners intends to close the bars January 15 to make way for tech office space, Oakland Pride Co-Chair Carlos Uribe said. Uribe is also general manager of Club 21 and Club BnB. It was announced Friday that the nonprofit Oakland Pride, which has its offices and storage in the building – and puts on the pa-

rade and festival every September – would have to move, too. Uribe, a queer man, said that the Pride organization has not yet found a new space. “We’ve been calling around. Kaplan’s office said she was looking for space, but the reality is space is at a premium,” Uribe said in a phone interview with the B.A.R., referring to lesbian at-large Oakland Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan. “We store most of the equipment for Pride – canopies, tables – in the building.” Uribe said that Oakland Pride needs between 2,000 and 2,500 square feet of office space, and that the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center can’t house it because the center’s building at 3207 Lakeshore Avenue lacks enough space. Nonetheless, Uribe said that the 11th annual Oakland Pride and seventh parade will take place Sunday, September 13.

Jane Philomen Cleland

The Oakland Unified School District and its Gender and Sexuality Alliance were one of many contingents in the sixth annual Oakland Pride parade Sunday, September 8, 2019.

“Club BnB has been home to our organization since I first joined the Oakland Pride team,”

Katelyn Larson, Oakland Pride’s event coordinator, said in the release. “The club owners’ generous

donation of our office space has saved us tens of thousands of dollars in rent every year and enabled us to devote our time and energy toward putting on events and providing resources to Oakland’s LGBTQ+ community.” Club 21, which primarily served the Spanish-speaking LGBT community, announced in an email Wednesday that two of its parties – Latin Explosion and La Bota Loca – will be moving to the Level 13 nightclub at 341 13th Street in Oakland, though it was unsure at press time if these will continue to be weekly. Ellis Partners and Kaplan did not immediately return requests for comment. Uribe has launched a change. org petition urging Ellis Partners to allow the two gay clubs to remain in the space. To view it, go to https://bit.ly/2T4Fodj. t

Planners object to Sterling Bank relocation plans by Matthew S. Bajko

terling Bank & Trust wants to relocate its Castro branch into a

prominent corner retail space on upper Market Street, but city planners have raised objections to the financial company’s plans.

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In a particularly harsh analysis of the company’s request to move from its current location at 2122 Market Street into a 2,999 square foot storefront in the building next door at 2100 Market Street, planner Jeff Horn wrote that the planning department not only found the relocation to be undesirable but that it would adversely impact the Upper Market commercial corridor. The department, wrote Horn, considers the project “not to be necessary, desirable, and compatible with the surrounding neighborhood, and to be detrimental to persons or adjacent properties in the vicinity.” It is recommending that the city’s planning commission reject Sterling Bank’s permit request to move its branch when it takes up the matter at its January 9 meeting. The oversight body could decide to ignore the staff ’s advice and approve the permits, or if it votes to deny them, then the bank could appeal to the Board of Supervisors within 30 days once the decision becomes effective. Steve Adams, a senior vice president and managing director at Sterling Bank, did not respond to a request for comment. A gay man and former president of the Castro Merchants neighborhood association, Adams is president of the city’s small business commission. According to the staff report, Sterling Bank’s lease for its current Castro branch site “will terminate in the near future.” As the Bay Area Reporter has noted in previous stories, the bank’s desire to relocate is opposed by nearby residents and a powerful neighborhood association that prefers to see a merchant that can attract considerably more foot traffic set up shop in such a prominent corner. It is situated at the intersection of Market, Church and 14th streets and lies atop the Muni Metro Church Station. The mixed-use building, which opened in September, had generated community consternation after it was learned last summer that its local developer, Brian Spiers, had entered into an agreement with the San Francisco-based startup Sonder to lease its 52 market-rate apartments as furnished extended-stay units. The move was seen as favoring businesses that can afford to rent expensive apartments for their employees on a short-term basis rather than providing long-term homes for people who want to become residents of the city’s LGBT neighborhood.

Matthew S. Bajko

Sterling Bank & Trust wants to relocate its Castro branch into the corner retail space in the adjacent mixed-use building that opened last fall.

Meanwhile, the residents of the eight on-site affordable apartments were determined by a lottery the city conducted Tuesday, January 7. According to its website, Sterling Bank was founded in San Francisco in 1984 and now has 13 neighborhood branches in the city and an additional seven in the Bay Area. The bank also has four branches in Los Angeles, a loan production office in Seattle, and since 2017 has operated a division in New York known as SBT Advantage Bank. Thus, Sterling Bank is considered a formula retailer by San Francisco since it has more than 11 locations and is required to seek conditional use authorization when opening up a branch in the city. The requirement is triggered even if it means moving an existing branch into a new location such as the case with its Castro branch. But the bank also ran into even more restrictive zoning aimed at preventing too many chain retailers setting up shop along upper Market Street. The rules were put into place years ago following neighborhood uproars over a planned Starbucks on the commercial corridor that was ultimately rejected by the planning commission, and complaints at seeing Bank of the West move into a prominent corner location at 16th, Market and Noe Streets since it does little to draw foot traffic when it is closed at night and on Sundays. Under the rules, if a retail applicant brings the formula retail concentration within a 300 foot radius of where it wants to open on upper Market Street to a concentration of 20% or above, the planning department staff is required to recommend disapproval of the application to the Planning Commission. In Sterling Bank’s case, it wants to move into a storefront that is near six other formula retailers. Also on

the 2100 block of Market Street are a Walgreens pharmacy and store and a 24-Hour Fitness gym, while a Safeway grocery store and an Ace Hardware also front that intersection. Sterling, noted Horn in his report, “would significantly increase the concentration of total formula retail use frontage within a 300-foot radius of the project” as the radial footprint “currently is over-concentrated with formula retail uses, occupying 20.6% of the total frontages, and the project would result in a net increase of 124 linear feet to the district, resulting in a concentration of 26.6%.” According to the staff report, the planning department has received three letters in support of Sterling Bank’s desire to relocate its branch from the Castro Merchants, the Castro/Upper Market Community Benefit District, and the Eureka Valley Neighborhood Association. Meanwhile, nine nearby residents and the Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association sent in letters of opposition. The 36-page staff report posted online Friday with the agenda for the planning commission’s next meeting did not include copies of any of the letters. Nor was any correspondence from Sterling Bank included in the report. In its October/November newsletter DTNA explained that it was opposed to seeing Sterling Bank move into the new retail space because when Spiers sought its approval for his development he had promised “that the main corner retail space would be built out and rented as a restaurant, and that the two small retail spaces on 14th Street would be rented to local businesses at reasonable rates, Spiers reversed on that and is now attempting to gain approval to use the entire bottom floor for another corporate client (a bank).” t

Community News>>

January 9-15, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 11

SF Arts Commission head departing compiled by Cynthia Laird

om DeCaigny, a gay man who heads the San Francisco Arts Commission as cultural affairs director, has announced he is departing to take a job as executive director of the California Alliance for Arts Education. His last day with the city is January 24; he begins his new post February 24. “It is an incredibly difficult decision to leave the San Francisco Arts Commission,” DeCaigny, 42, said in a statement. “Mayor [Ed] Lee appointed me in January 2012, and it has been the opportunity of a lifetime to serve our amazing city.” He informed Mayor London Breed and Arts Commission President Roberto Ordeñana, a gay man who’s deputy director of the San Francisco LGBT Community Center, January 3. The alliance for arts education said in a news release that it is excited for DeCaigny to become the organization’s next leader. “He possesses a unique range of executive, strategic, and policy expertise, substantial experience advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, and a deep commitment to arts education,” board Chair Paul Richman stated. The alliance, which is based in Pasadena, California, advocates for high quality arts education for all students by providing policy expertise and by mobilizing a statewide network of supporters and allied partners, the release stated. It is in its fifth decade of work. DeCaigny’s resignation leaves two gay men in top San Francisco artsrelated posts: John Caldon, managing director of the War Memorial, and Matthew Goudeau, head of Grants for the Arts.

Jane Philomen Cleland

San Francisco Cultural Affairs Director Tom DeCaigny

Manny’s owner named to small biz panel

San Francisco Mayor London Breed has announced that Manny Yekutiel, a gay man and the owner of the eponymously-named cafe in the Mission, will be appointed to the city’s Small Business Commission. Manny’s, a civic gathering space located at 3092 16th Street, has hosted numerous Democratic presidential candidates and other newsmakers since it opened on election night in 2018. “Small business is the backbone of San Francisco’s economy and the fabric through which our city is woven,” Yekutiel wrote in an email. “As a small business owner myself, I know the unique challenges and joys of running a small business in today’s San Francisco. I look forward to getting to work with my fellow commissioners to help our small businesses succeed here in the city. I

Courtesy Facebook

Manny Yekutiel

am deeply gratified and humbled by Mayor Breed’s appointment.” Yekutiel, 30, moved to San Francisco in 2010 and spent a summer raising money on street corners as a canvasser for Equality California. In the aftermath of the 2016 election, he decided to focus on creating a civic gathering space. Last year, Manny’s was awarded Small Business of the Year by the California State Senate and has been featured in various publications. Some of that news has revolved around protests by Gay Shame and other groups. In March 2019, Yekutiel agreed to a memorandum of understanding with United to Save the Mission that includes programming and operational goals, the San Francisco Examiner reported at the time. Also last year, Yekutiel embarked on a sponsorship drive to enlist community support. The sponsorships are $36 per month. In a release, the mayor’s office noted that Manny’s has served over 55,000 cups of coffee and tea, hosted over 400

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civic events, and has had 16 formerly homeless or incarcerated individuals graduate from its training kitchen, which is run by Farming Hope, and who now have full-time jobs. Yekutiel will be sworn in to his commission seat by Breed Monday, January 13, just before the meeting. The mayor’s office said that Commissioners Mark Dwight and Irene Yee Riley are leaving the panel. Yekutiel will replace one of them and serve a four-year term expiring in January 2024. The other out person on the commission is Steve Adams of Sterling Bank and Trust. The panel consists of seven people, five of whom must own, operate, or be officers of a small business in the city. The commission meets every other week.

Kora employer spotlight at LGBT center

Kora, an online company that brings cooks into the homes of people who appreciate the benefits of a homemade meal, will be the focus of an employer spotlight at the San Francisco LGBT Community Center. Interested people are welcome to attend the free session, which takes place Thursday, January 16, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at the center, 1800 Market Street. Attendees will learn about the application process and how they can get involved with cooking for Kora. Applicants do not need to have any formal or traditional culinary experience. The community center’s announcement noted that Kora is looking to hire enthusiastic and driven individuals to join its team. A company representative will give a brief presentation about the business; discuss open positions, requirements, and qualifications; and answer questions. For more information and to sign up, visit https://bit.ly/39FPffw. Interested applicants can also take

advantage of the center’s other employment services, and take part in a mock interview with center staff. For more information, visit https://bit. ly/2QI0StF.

Young Oakland poets can apply for laureate program

The Oakland Public Library and an alliance of community partners have announced that young people between the ages of 13-18 can now apply for the Oakland Youth Poet Laureate program. According to a news release, every eligible applicant will be invited to enter into a community of young poets and youth advocates. Finalists will receive opportunities to perform before various Oakland audiences. The laureate will serve as city ambassadors for literacy, arts, and youth expression. They will receive a $5,000 scholarship. “The Oakland Youth Poet Laureate community has given me the unparalleled opportunity to grow not only as an artist, but as a human being,” Eleanor Wikstrom, 17, who was Oakland’s 2019 vice poet laureate, said in the release. The application deadline is February 3. For more information and to submit an application, visit https:// bit.ly/2MTD70n.

SF library starts Black History Month

The San Francisco Public Library has announced that its Black History Month observance will start this month, with various events being offered through February. “More Than A Month: Black History, Culture, and Heritage” will feature more than 80 author talks, discussions of U.S. history and current events, book clubs, films, and arts and crafts programs. (Black History Month is typically designated for February.) See page 14 >>

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<< Community News

12 • Bay Area Reporter • January 9-15, 2020

Taxes bring new problems in 2020 by Sari Staver

espite the rollout of new products and retail outlets, both cannabis consumers and sellers are expected to face a difficult year in 2020. While the Bay Area continues to approve the establishment of both new retail spaces and delivery services, prices are expected to jump close to 20%, thanks to new state taxes that went into effect January 1. Even worse, it is unclear whether compassionate use programs, which offer free cannabis to people who are terminally ill and indigent, will get off the ground this year. “The taxes are killing the small business owners,” said entrepreneur Amber Senter, an Oakland lesbian who is planning to open two new dispensaries in San Francisco this year. “We have got to continue letting our legislators know” about the difficulties the industry is facing, she said in a telephone interview with the Bay Area Reporter. California collects a 15% excise tax from cannabis consumers; every transaction also includes a sales tax that is at least the 9.25% charged by the state on all consumer transactions and may be more when cities and counties have their own sales taxes. Those rates will remain the same in 2020, but retailers will face a 12.5% bump in taxes and farmers will see an increase of more than 4%, which are both expected to be passed on to consumers.

What’s more, said longtime dispensary owner Wayne Justmann in a phone interview, “There is no end in sight to the many, many people who are sick and cannot afford” to buy cannabis. A new law that is expected to encourage compassionate use programs takes effect in March, but it is unclear how quickly that niche will ramp up. Last year, California lawmakers approved, and Governor Gavin Newsom signed, Senate Bill 34. The legislation, authored by gay state Senator Scott Wiener (DSan Francisco), will allow retailers or other organizations to donate medical marijuana to low-income consumers without any additional tax to the seller or the user. Justmann, 74, a gay man, has been a vocal proponent of compassionate use for decades. “Taxation is crippling the industry,” said Justmann, adding, “the excitement over legalization” was premature. “Proposition 64 was a disaster,” he added, referring to the voter-approved initiative that legalized adult recreational marijuana use. It went into effect January 1, 2018. Before legalization, and its accompanying regulations and taxes, many dispensaries and freestanding organizations were able to donate cannabis to people who were indigent and needed medical relief, he said. But once the businesses had to pay new taxes and comply with myriad new regulations, “of course they can’t

Sari Staver

Cannabis dispensary owner Wayne Justmann, left, and state Senator Scott Wiener discussed the need for compassionate use programs.

afford” to donate products without taking a big hit on their bottom line, said Justmann. Justmann urged cannabis consumers to “let their elected representatives know” what has happened to the market. An increasing number of farmers “have told me that they cannot afford to participate in the legal market,” said Justmann. Some have left the business while others are turning to the black market to survive, he said. The cannabis industry is still going through its growing pains, said Justmann, noting that a number of the larger organizations have downsized recently. Pot-delivery company Eaze laid off 36 workers and replaced its CEO, ac-

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SF equity dispensary opens

Gay-owned Eureka Sky was the first equity applicant to be approved by the San Francisco Office of Cannabis, but another one beat it to the punch and opened first. Berner’s on Haight opened December 21 at 1685 Haight Street. As previously reported in the B.A.R., Berner’s is a collaboration between two San Francisco natives, Shawn Richard and Gilbert Milam, known in the industry for developing Cookies, a family of trademarked cannabis strains and related merchandise. The brand also owns a non-cannabis retail store that opened at 1429 Haight Street five years ago, selling apparel and accessories. Berner’s is open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. As previously reported in the B.A.R. (https://www.ebar.com/ news/cannabis/285723), the first equity applicant to be approved by the city was Eureka Sky, located at 3989 17th Street in the Castro. Co-owners Romwald (Ray) Connolly and Desmond Morgan, a married couple, said that they expect to be fully open in January. Eureka Sky’s equity applicant is Chris Callaway, a local marijuana grower who moved to the Bay Area 20 years ago to get involved with medical cannabis. t Bay Area Cannasseur usually runs the first Thursday of the month. To send column ideas or tips, email Sari Staver at sfsari@gmail.com.

Trans community journalist Dina Boyer dies by Cynthia Laird

ina Boyer, a transgender woman and longtime community jour-

nalist, died December 24 at UCSF in San Francisco. She was 55. The cause of death was cancer, according to District 3 Supervisor

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Aaron Peskin, who adjourned Tuesday’s board meeting in memory of Ms. Boyer. Peskin said that Ms. Boyer was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer late last year that rapidly spread to her stomach and lungs. Ms. Boyer was the original producer of “Tranny Talk TV,” a public access show that aired on Channel 29 in San Francisco. “Dina was many things to many people, ranging from a military veteran, trans advocate, and animal rights activist to a popular camera talent and film director in the independent media and public television community for 25 years,” Peskin said, according to a copy of his remarks. “She was a longtime fixture at Channel 29, San Francisco’s public television station, where she was the facilities coordinator, producer of the groundbreaking ‘Tranny Talk TV,’ and camera person for the award-winning ‘Newsroom on Access SF.’” Chantal Wishsong Boyer Holst told the Bay Area Reporter via email that her sister was “a fiercely independent trans woman who’s transition included all her life’s experiences to create the phenomenal person she was.” “Dina was a student of life whose inquisitive nature inspired her to start conversations with anyone she came upon,” Holst wrote. “Most often those conversations sparked lifetime friendships with people from every walk of life – from the roughest most tumble straight cisgender men to the most refined and educated people she came upon.” Peskin said that Ms. Boyer was “very focused on bringing trans issues and voices to the forefront of public discourse, ranging from reporting on health and labor issues for transgender people to an investigation into the suspicious death of Daxi Arredondo, a transgender woman whose body was found at a Tenderloin motel in November 2006.” 11-5 Ms. Boyer was also concerned at the lack of attention and media coverage on the high rate of violence

Courtesy Supervisor Peskin’s office

Dina Boyer

against trans women, in particular, and “Tranny Talk TV” was a pioneering show up until its last episode aired on March 18, 2007. Peskin added, “She was never without her beloved press pass and documented everything from music festivals to political protests and wildfires. She leaves behind an invaluable archive of film and video.” According to Peskin’s office, Ms. Boyer grew up in Baltimore, where she knew from the young age of 12 that she was different, but didn’t have the resources or information to fully understand or access her true identity. It was not until she was in her 30s that she was able to fully start her transition to reclaim her true identity, ultimately moving to San Francisco to access support for her transition with a community of San Francisco artists and activists that shared her experiences. Ms. Boyer served in the United States Navy Corps of Engineers, and, in 1994, she met the love of her life, Nadia Cabezas, known to many in the community as Kitty Kastro. Cabezas was the hostess of “Tranny Talk TV.” Cabezas died in 2007 after she was struck by a car on an Indiana highway. “She was my partner, my roommate, my best friend,” Ms. Boyer told the Bay Area Reporter at the time of Cabezas’ passing. Ms. Boyer used her later struggle with homelessness to elevate trans

issues, as well, including a profile featured on CNN’s iReport. She studied film and production at City College of San Francisco and photojournalism at San Francisco State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in radio and television. She loved animals, especially horses, which she began to document in the wild toward the end of her life. “She loved the outdoors and nature, and was always quick with a wisecrack and warm laugh,” Peskin said in his remarks. “She was most comfortable behind the lens, and was known to generously volunteer her production skills on other people’s shows.” Holst wrote that Ms. Boyer photographed wild horses in Northern California and Nevada every few months. “Those same horses are the ones that she visited not too long ago to help her grieve the loss of her mother, who died of the same cancer as Dina,” Holst wrote. “That range was a stomping ground to celebrate life.” In addition to her sister, Ms. Boyer is survived by her father; son, Jeremy Jones; and her granddaughter, who she was looking forward to meeting one day. Private services will be held among friends and family at Ms. Boyer’s favorite natural places across California and Nevada. t

Sports >>

January 9-15, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 13

49ers coach Sowers gets airtime by Roger Brigham

les Area Softball Association, include Lexus, Caesar’s Entertainment, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Oasis, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, GAYVN, Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority, and Piranha Nightclub. For more information, visit sincityclassic.org.

irst off, a big yahoo to the San Francisco 49ers for their clutch regular season-ending victory over the rival Seahawks in Seattle to clinch the division title and capture the top seed in the NFL playoffs. The Niners are at home this weekend in the conference semifinals against the Minnesota Vikings with a chance to return to the Super Bowl for the first time since the departure of quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Niners offensive assistant coach Katie Sowers, the only out lesbian coach on any NFL team, is featured in a new ad for the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 laptop that aired last weekend during the playoff game between Seattle and Philadelphia (Seahawks bounced back for the win). (See July 19, 2017 Jock Talk, “49ers’ out coach Sowers prepared for her role,” www.ebar. com/news/news//262850.) You can probably expect to see the ad again if the Niners advance to the Super Bowl. Too many years I’ve had to follow up Super Bowl weekend mentioning homophobic themes in some of the television advertising. Having Sowers in an ad Super Bowl weekend? Priceless. The ad can be viewed online at www.youtube.com/ watch?v=1hU39FPGalQ.

Sin City Classic opens

The 13th annual Sin City Classic will open Thursday, January 16, in Las Vegas. This year’s expanded edition of the LGBT multi-sport festival of competition and parties will offer

July 18, 1940 – November 15, 2019

Sharon Gregory passed away in her home with her family by her side. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Born to Ernest and Jewel Melvin in San Bernardino, California, Sharon had one brother, Donald Melvin, and one sister, Mary Picollo – both now deceased. Sharon had three children; John M. Davies VI (Sunnyvale, California), Christy M. Davies (Vacaville, California) and Scott E. Gregory (Fairfield, California). Both Sharon’s late husband, Clyde (Red) M. Gregory, and son, Scott, passed before her, but now they’re meeting together in heaven with her beloved Chihuahua, Lilyput, and Yorkie, Suzie Cute. Sharon lived in Santa Clara County for many years, and spent her remaining 35 years in Solano County. She is survived by her first husband John M. Davies V (Arizona); son, Jack; daughter, Christy; granddaughter, Katrina; and four great-granddaughters: Aliana, Anatalia, Audrina, and Anyla Reyes. Sharon attended Sunnyvale High School, and is a member of its alumni. Sharon enjoyed collecting antique glassware and other collectibles. She owned and operated Collector of Sorts and Shar Shar’s Poodle Salon in Palo Alto. Casinos, bingo, and playing the lottery were things Sharon loved immensely. Sharon wore many hats. She retired from Hewlett Packard after 30-plus years. Sharon and her feisty ways will be missed by all who knew her. We thank Yolo Hospice for aiding Sharon through her end-of-life journey. Specifically, Marie, Micah, Keysha, Nidia, Jim, and Tom who gave compassionate care when she needed it. A big thanks to Violet, Miriam, Karen, and Shaina for their help as well. Sharon requested to be cremated. There will be a celebration of life held Saturday, January 11, from 1 to 6 p.m. at the Vacaville Moose Lodge (#1976)

Co-director for Gay Games XI named

Sabrina Yang, sports director for the Hong Kong 2022 Gay Games, has been named co-director of the host organization. Yang will continue to serve as sports officer. Dennis Philipse is the other director for Hong Kong 2022. t

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Screenshot courtesy Microsoft

San Francisco 49ers offensive assistant coach Katie Sowers stars in a Microsoft ad.

24 sports – four more than last year. (See September 26 JockTalk, “Sin City Classic gearing up,” www.ebar.com/ news/news//282188.”) “Each year the Sin City Classic continues to grow and brings even more LGBTQ athletes, allies and fans to Las Vegas for a weekend filled with competition and camaraderie,” Ken Scearce, tournament director, stated. “Our nightly events continue to get bigger and better, and we’re happy to be able to offer attendees the opportunity to come together and bond through sport.” Sponsors for this year’s event, sanctioned by the Greater Los Ange-

Registration is open for Berlin Einsteiger’s 20th annual International Wrestling Camp, scheduled for May 29-June 1 in Germany. In recent years, the four-day training camp has become a major stop on the LGBT wrestling circuit as the European clubs have reintegrated into Wrestlers WithOut Borders. This year’s event will be held at a sports complex about three miles north of Berlin and offer six freestyle wrestling coaches. “We’ve come a long way from the first events in some run-down locations to the perfect spot in a sports center to the north of Berlin,” club spokesman Mitch Krüger said. “This location provides modern sports facilities with a huge wrestling gym, good accommodations with double or triple bedrooms, catering, an indoor swimming pool, sauna, bowling and barbecue.” He said the weekend will offer training, technique development, open mat sparring, grappling workshops, swimming, and a party.

DUGGAN’S FUNERAL SERVICE

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3434 – 17th StREEt SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110

Thomas V. Halloran General Manager A native San Franciscan with 40 years of professional experience assisting families in need. A longtime resident of the Eureka Valley, Castro and Mission Districts; a member of the Castro Merchants Association and a 25 year member of the Freewheelers Car Club. At Duggan’s Funeral Service, which sits in the heart of the Mission, we offer custom services that fit your personal wishes in honoring and celebrating a life. We are committed to the ever-changing needs of the community and the diverse families we serve.

Please call for information 415-431-4900 or visit us at www.duggansfuneralservice.com

Obituaries >> Sharon Suzanne Gregory

The camp is limited to 80 participants; as of Monday, 45 slots remained available. Cost for all four days begins at around $260. For registration and information about the camp, visit http://www. berliner-ringer.de/index_en.php.

FD44

6585 Gibson Canyon Road, Vacaville, CA 95688. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Solano County Humane Shelter or Vacaville SPCA in her memory.

Joseph C. Jung April 13, 1954 – December 9, 2019

The heart of an exceptional man, Joseph C. Jung, finally gave out at his San Francisco home December 9, 2019. He was born April 13, 1954 in Red Bud, Illinois. A graduate of Illinois State University, with a master’s degree from the University of Illinois, Springfield, Joe had a passion for giving back to his community through organizations from Lighthouse for the Blind to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In the early days of the HIV epidemic, Joe worked for the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s AIDS Office, tasked with monitoring and supporting community-based health services funded through the Ryan White CARE Act. Joe offered structure, compassion, and creative solutions to ensure that persons with HIV received the best of care. Facing his own challenges as an informed consumer, and resolute about managing his own care, Joe was supported by caring and tireless friends and professionals who worked hard to help him survive. Throughout the challenges of his life, Joe maintained a quick wit and wicked sense of fun. His latest TV obsession was the series “Pose.” Joe will be greatly missed by his family – his mother, sisters, and brothers, and the countless friends who formed his West Coast family. A celebration of a well-lived life will be held Sunday, January 19, at 1 p.m. at the Randall Museum, 199 Museum Way in San Francisco. Memorial contributions may be sent to the United Cerebral Palsy Foundation or the San Francisco Food Bank.

A community you can connect with.

Life at San Francisco Towers is everything you love about the city and more. It’s a smart, sophisticated, inclusive senior community. Stay involved in your favorite activities. Enjoy the conveniences of a Life Plan Community. And experience the peace of mind that comes with planning for the future now. For singles or couples, San Francisco Towers is the welcome you’ve been looking for. Get to know us. Call 415.447.5527 for more information or to schedule a visit.

1661 Pine Street, San Francisco, CA 94109 covia.org/san-francisco-towers A not-for-profit community owned and operated by Covia. License 380540292 / COA #325

<< Community News

14 • Bay Area Reporter • January 9-15, 2020

AIDS Walk

ICE

From page 1

Avilez has resided in California since 1979, according to court documents. She presented gender-nonconformity from a young age, for which she was reprimanded by her father. She got married in 2000 and became a permanent resident of the U.S. (Federal law allows the spouses of U.S. citizens to become permanent residents. After three years they can apply

News Briefs

From page 11

Kicking off the celebration will be a reading of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech Thursday, January 9, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Richmond library branch, 351 Ninth Avenue. Other programs include an art talk with representatives of the de Young

PRC CEO Brett Andrews

Craig Miller, MZA Events president and CEO

increase participation and revenues, Andrews said that “we have significant reach in the corporate and business community,” specifically in the tech world. He touted a $200,000 commitment from sponsoring partner Gilead Sciences Inc., the company that makes PrEP. A Gilead representative confirmed the donation commitment Wednesday. “We’re in partnership with so many organizations,” Andrews added. “We want to make sure our organizations are as responsible as they possibly can.” PRC rebranded in 2017, following its merger with the AIDS Emergency Fund and Baker Places. (It had been known as Positive Resource Center.) It has expanded its focus from the HIV-positive community to also include people with substance abuse disorders and other mental illnesses, according to its website. As the B.A.R. previously reported, last May PRC moved to its new $6 million integrated service center at 170 Ninth Street. It serves 5,000 people annually. PRC provides legal and housing services, emergency financial assistance, and workforce training and development, according to its website. PRC’s expanded focus is the result of changes in the HIV/AIDS epidemic over the past three decades, and who

the disease impacts, Andrews said, and that’s one reason PRC is now partnering with MZA to produce the event. MZA has licensed the AIDS Walk in several cities, including New York and Los Angeles. In San Francisco, the AIDS foundation was the main beneficiary through 2013. In 2014 and 2015, Miller said the main beneficiary was Project Inform. That agency terminated its staff and dissolved in March 2019, reduced in its final days to operating out of WeWork office space in downtown San Francisco. Miller said that in 2016 and 2017, the main beneficiary was the AIDS Walk San Francisco Foundation and in 2018 and 2019, it was Acria, formerly the AIDS Community Research Initiative of America, which is based in New York City but has a presence in San Francisco. Miller said that the change to PRC is not because Acria was not doing a good job. “(Acria) did a really great job and their leadership was of great benefit to the community,” Miller said. “Every lead co-beneficiary did really well during two years of leadership. They had a strategic change within their own organization; it wasn’t due to any unhappiness on their part or the community’s part.”

When asked why Acria was no longer the main beneficiary of AIDS Walk San Francisco, a spokeswoman for the agency said that it was “particularly gratified” by the amount of money it raised for charity, but acknowledged it had an organizational change in mission. “Acria is very proud to have successfully led AWSF for two years,” spokeswoman Krishna Stone wrote in an email to the B.A.R. “Organizational change on Acria’s part, and the merit of PRC’s mission and work is at the root of PRC now leading the event.” When asked why a New York-based nonprofit was the main beneficiary, Stone said that Acria was responsible for a needs assessment of HIV and aging in San Francisco and Alameda counties. The money it received from the 2018 event – around $150,000 – helped it finish the research. “With those studies complete, and consistent with the AIDS Walk San Francisco Foundation board’s requirement that all net proceeds from the event continue to be focused entirely on serving the Bay Area, and consistent with Acria’s commitment to adhere to the AWSF requirement, Acria received no net proceeds from the 2019 event,” Stone wrote. Acria wouldn’t comment on how much it had paid MZA Events in either year. In addition to being the primary beneficiary, PRC will be responsible for outreach and for distributing the revenues generated by the AIDS Walk to other nonprofits, Andrews said. “PRC takes on the responsibility of the community ground program,” he said. Typically, the AIDS Walk includes teams from businesses or nonprofits that participate and gather pledges from their friends, family, and coworkers. Individuals can also take part. Individual and team registration are both free, Miller and Andrews said, respectively. Miller said that three organizations received $50,000 or more in grants in 2019: PRC, Ward 86 at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, and

for U.S. citizenship.) In 2005, Avilez, then 26, was convicted of a gang-related assault. “In prison and away from her brother’s grip, Ms. Avilez immediately began the process of disavowing her gang ties,” the complaint stated. “For the first time, she began to explore and embrace her sexual attraction to men.” Avilez identified as a bisexual man, which Vega said on a January 6 phone call with the B.A.R. was the result of a “lack of understanding and accep-

tance” of trans identities on the part of the wider culture. In 2019, Avilez began to openly identify as a transgender woman and started receiving treatment for depression. She got her name legally changed. By that time she had been transferred to Yuba County and charged with being a permanent resident who was removable from the U.S. While Yuba medical staff recommended hormone therapy, and ICE said the request had been approved, Avilez never received

it, according to court documents. Since her move to Texas, Avilez has been having thoughts of suicide, according to court documents. Before she was sent to Texas, Avilez had been told she was going to be released and called her family to share the good news, according to court documents. “It comes down to human rights,” Vega said. “My client’s rights have been violated and ICE is holding her in a deplorable manner, in isolation,

not using her name and gender.” ICE had until Tuesday, January 7, to respond to the complaint, after which a date will be set for a hearing. In the release, Vega said that Avilez “poses no danger to society and deserves to be released from custody and have her human rights respected.” The San Francisco ICE enforcement and removal operations office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. t

Museum, titled, “Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power 19631983,” Saturday, January 25, from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Presidio branch, 3150 Sacramento Street. It will also be presented at other branches in January and February. For a complete list of programs, and to view the program guide, visit www. sfpl.org/more-than-a-month. All library programs are free.

San Mateo Pride center news

The San Mateo County Pride Center is looking for the next group of young people to serve on its Youth Action Board. Interested people between the ages of 12 and 20 who live in San Mateo County can apply to join the board for the January-June semester. The Youth Action Board meets

every Monday from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the Pride center, 1021 South El Camino Real in San Mateo. To apply, go to https://bit. ly/35jd359. In other news, the Pride center will offer legal name and gender marker change workshops several times in the coming months. According to the center’s newsletter, the sessions are scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 3 to 7 p.m.

at the center on the last Wednesday of the month: January 29, February 26, March 25, and April 29. There is no cost to attend. Organizers said that appointments are scheduled on the hour. RSVPs are required as space is limited. For more information, contact Alex Golding at alex.golding@sanmateopride.org or (650) 465-6795. t

the city, Breed proclaimed it is her desire to lift up those now living on the city’s streets. “It is the hope of a dozen generations of my family. It is the promise that everyone has a place in this city. That no one should be left in the cold,” said Breed. “So when we come to this Hall, or walk down Market Street, and see the suffering of thousands of people right outside our door, it hurts. It hurts – not because we are callous, but because we care. The suffering on our streets – it offends our civic soul. And it should.” Yet she also tempered expectations that her mayoral administration or individual cities would be able to easily solve the problem, noting that home-

lessness and rising housing costs are statewide and national epidemics. “Homelessness isn’t new. It isn’t easy. We are not the only city struggling with it. And quite frankly, we are not going to solve it in a hundred days, or in a year, or even, entirely, in this term,” said Breed. In order to address the issue, Breed called for building “at least 50,000 new homes” by 2030, with 17,000 of those affordable, and for the city to continue to “permanently” preserve thousands of existing affordable homes. And she used her speech to call for passage of the controversial Senate Bill 50, authored by gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), that would allow for high-density housing devel-

opments near transit centers. This week Wiener amended his bill to allow for more local control over the design and placement of the projects, but it remains to be seen if state lawmakers will support it. Affordable housing advocates call it a gift to developers while some local officials worry it still negatively impedes their oversight. “To get to 50,000, we can’t let disingenuous warnings of shadows and height get in the way of badly needed new housing. To get to 50,000, we have to recognize that density isn’t a dirty word,” said Breed. “To get to 50,000, we have to push for solutions to build homes faster, and support policies like SB 50 that will allow more

multi-family housing all over the Bay Area.” Breed also pledged to increase the city’s mental health services but was vague on how she plans to achieve that goal. “I am determined, over the next four years, to create enough places to take in people with addiction or mental health problems, so that, when you encounter someone in need, you make a call and know that they will get help,” said Breed. Another top priority for Breed this year is naming a successor to planning director John Rahaim, a gay man who last year announced his desire to

From page 2

drews wrote in an email to the B.A.R. that “I will say that PRC commits to distributing a minimum of $50K (equal to 2019), and grant increases will be based on the overall performance of the walk.” Miller said that having PRC as primary beneficiary will lead to improved cost efficiency for the event. “We expect with PRC at the helm, expenses will be reduced. Here are a couple concrete examples. The office space expense experienced by (AIDS Walk San Francisco) will go down in 2020 thanks to PRC being able to accommodate the AWSF fundraising staff and related operations within its building,” Miller wrote in an email. “Likewise, PRC’s existing year-round staff will be taking on a number of the event’s fundraising responsibilities, creating still more cost efficiency.” Andrews said that PRC client services will not be impacted by AIDS Walk San Francisco using office space and PRC staffers working on AIDS Walk-related items. PRC receives a base amount of money for co-producing the walk, Andrews said, but he would not say what that figure is. Miller said that PRC makes “all determinations regarding the distribution of net proceeds from the 2020 event.” When asked how PRC will make those decisions and if organizations have to submit grant requests, Andrews stated, “We are in the process of developing the community grants program. We want this to be a thoughtful process.” AIDS Walk San Francisco has seen a dip in money raised. In 2016 and 2017, the event brought in $2 million. That decreased to $1.8 million in 2018. Last year’s event saw it raise only $1.5 million. (Those figures do not take into account the money spent on administrative costs.) When asked if the 2020 walk had a goal amount in mind, Andrews said “there’s no particular number in mind but we certainly understand what’s needed to make those dollars.” When asked how PRC plans to

SF mayor

From page 1

budget needs this year. The issues have become top concerns for city residents and were dominant themes in her inaugural address. Over the last decade, noted Breed in her speech, “We grappled with the twin troubles of homelessness and housing affordability. At the dawn of this new decade, they remain our greatest challenges. And they are what I want to talk about today.” Noting that her grandmother Comelia Brown left Texas for San Francisco seeking better job prospects, and that countless LGBT individuals and immigrants have also sought refuge in

Courtesy PRC

Courtesy MZA Events

History, future

Project Open Hand. However, an official with Ward 86 said that the organization received $37,516 from AIDS Walk in 2019, after first giving two lower estimates. “Last year (2019), we received funds from AIDS Walk SF to help launch our innovative POP-UP clinic, which is a special wrap-around care program for marginally housed patients with HIV,” Ward 86 medical director Dr. Monica Gandhi wrote in an email to the B.A.R. Thursday, December 26. “We plan to have a major presence at AIDS Walk 2020 from Ward 86 and to help drum up enthusiasm from the entire San Francisco General Hospital community for this year’s walk.” PRC received $72,160 from AIDS Walk 2019, according to Marvin Morris, executive administrator and board liaison of PRC, in an email to the B.A.R. Friday, January 3. Project Open Hand did not respond to requests for comment as of press time. The National AIDS Memorial Grove got a grant of $25,000 but it raised more money ($90,792, according to the AIDS Walk website) with its own walkathon team, according to Miller. Miller said that PRC has taken on a larger role this year because it can “provide the grounding, leadership and stability for the event that will promote growth. It does the best job of following the epidemic and being involved with the programs that will best meet the current needs of the epidemic – homelessness, mental health, addiction, and poverty.” The LGBT Asylum Project, which raised money in last year’s AIDS Walk, praised the partnership through a spokesperson. “The LGBT Asylum Project congratulates PRC and SF AIDS Walk on their partnership,” the statement says. “We believe this will be great for our community. We were able to raise over $5,000, which will help us support LGBTQ+ asylum seekers through the asylum process.” t

See page 15 >>

International News>>

t Gay activist scales Seven Summits for LGBT rights by Heather Cassell

at the Oakland-based Global Forum on MSM and HIV representing Eastern European and Central Asian LGBT communities. Not much has changed in his home country since he first started highlighting the lives of LGBT in Kyrgyzstan and in other Central Asian countries. Homosexuality is still illegal in Kyrgyzstan. The country’s LGBT community continues to face discrimination and severe hostility in the Muslimmajority country, Kasmamytov said in a WhatsApp interview with the B.A.R. in November. His coming out caused issues for his family back home, he said, but today his parents are proud of him and support other LGBT Kyrgyz. Since then, Kasmamytov has made headlines accomplishing other firsts. A sports enthusiast, he became the first openly gay Kyrgyz and Central Asian to cycle from Asia to Europe, becoming the first to have crossed the two continents by bike. “I was already doing a lot of sports back then and I saw only mostly rich

white men from Europe or America doing those crazy cycling tours across Asia,” Kasmamytov said. “I felt like we were those exotic culture[s] that they wanted to visit or to cycle through.” He chose to cycle from where he was born and raised in Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek, and ended in Germany’s capital, Berlin, where he lives today. “I was the first Kyrgyz to have ever done such a long cycling trip,” he said. During that challenge he learned about the Seven Summits. Already an avid mountaineer and rock climber, he immediately researched to see if anyone from his region had ever scaled Mount Everest or all of the Seven Summits, he said. “There was no Central Asian who was on Everest or who has done all of the Seven Summits,” Kasmamytov said. This year he plans to scale Mount Blanc in the Alps of Europe in June and Mount Aconcagua in Argentina in December. For more information or to donate, visit http://pinksummits.com/en. t

It remains to be seen what specific impact the city’s projected budget deficits will have on the funding required to implement the strategy, which encompasses everything from protecting the city’s LGBT cultural legacy and historic neighborhoods to supporting LGBT-owned businesses and providing affordable housing to LGBT youth, seniors, artists, the transgender community, and others struggling to afford a home in San Francisco. “I just think, for us, it is really important as these initiatives unfold we are looking to empower and be inclusive of the community,” said Farley. “I am glad we were able to do an over $3 million increase in investment in the LGBT community in the last budget cycle. I know the mayor has made a commitment to continue to fund underserved communities, including the LGBT community, because there is a very large focus on equity within her goals.”

Most of that funding approved in 2019 went toward the city’s Our Trans Home SF program, which will be ramping up its efforts later this month. One of the agencies funded through the initiative, the St. James Infirmary health clinic for sex workers and others, will be opening the first transitional housing for transgender adults in San Francisco later this month. It has leased two flats in a building where it plans to house eight individuals and hopes to lease an additional apartment in the coming months. Also, at noon, January 29, in the Koret Auditorium at the Main Library, the clinic and its partner, Larkin Street Youth Services, will be holding an orientation session for San Francisco’s first rental subsidy program for trans and gendernonconforming community. As her office’s responsibilities expand, Farley has brought on two additional employees to bring her staff up to five. Shane Zaldivar, who had been serving on the office’s Transgender Advisory Committee, is now serving as its training coordinator. In her fulltime position Zaldivar will support the office’s LGBTQ inclusion training for staffers at city departments. Pax Gethen has been hired on a part-time basis as the office’s admin and communications assistant. They are often hired to photograph LGBT

events in the city. Her team this year, said Farley, will be “working to really kind of expand on the mayor’s priorities of mental health and housing and overall stability for the community.” A key area of focus for her office will be the violence transgender people experience, as Farley said her team plans to hold community gatherings over the next six months to look at how the city can prioritize additional support and services to address the systemic issue. “Our office and the mayor’s office are wanting to look at the continued violence we are seeing against trans women of color and how to make sure we address that,” said Farley.

gay-owned Eagle bar through a number of bureaucratic hurdles in order for it to break ground. As the B.A.R. reported online last month, the recent rainstorms have delayed the construction timeline for the public parklet. The roadway through the plaza and a rebuilt southern sidewalk should be unveiled later this month, with the rest of the project completed within two months. In the spring Breed is also expected to celebrate the opening of a permanent installation honoring the city’s first gay supervisor, Harvey Milk, inside the San Francisco International Airport terminal named after the pioneering LGBT icon. And in early July Breed with help welcome health officials and advocates from around the world when San Francisco teams with Oakland to co-host the 2020 International AIDS Conference. The global event’s coming to the Bay Area coincides with the city’s goal of seeing new HIV infections be reduced by 90% this year. Breed and Dr. Grant Colfax, a gay man and HIV prevention expert the mayor hired to oversee the city’s public health department, will be closely watched to see if they meet that target. As Farley told the B.A.R., “We are looking forward to the work ahead in 2020 and beyond.” t

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038888000

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038897900

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038900500

Kasmamytov, who has self-funded the climbs so far, has been joined by up to five different LGBT people on each trek. He’s also filming his experience and plans to create a documentary following his final ascent of the Seven Summits. Kasmamytov has already ascended three mountains successfully: Elbrus and Kosciusko, in Australia in 2018, and Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in 2019, he told the Bay Area Reporter.

yrgyz gay activist Dastan “Danik” Kasmamytov is on a mission to plant a rainbow flag atop the world’s Seven Summits to bring visibility for LGBT rights around the world. “This would be [a] historical day for Kyrgyzstan, for the sports for my home country, but also, a historical day for gay movement,” Kasmamytov said. Kasmamytov, 28, became one of the first openly gay people to come out and speak about LGBT life in Central Asia. He uses sports to create LGBT visibility in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. He got the idea for his challenge, dubbed Pink Summits (http://pinksummits.com/en/) campaign, during his cycling trip from Asia to Europe. Scaling the Seven Summits, the highest mountains on each continent, is a dangerous trek, made more challenging due to the fact that he plans to plant a rainbow flag at each summit, even in countries where its incredibly dangerous to be gay. The Seven Summits are really nine summits, but due to two continents connecting, blurring the borders,

SF mayor

From page 14

resign once a new person had been hired. Breed will also be working with the city’s arts commission to hire a new cultural affairs director after Tom DeCaigny, a gay man who has held the post since 2012, announced last week that he was leaving to become executive director of the California Alliance for Arts Education in late February. Both of the new department heads will play critical roles in implementing components of the city’s pending LGBTQ cultural heritage strategy, which is expected to champion the GLBT Historical Society’s plans to build a permanent LGBT museum somewhere in the Castro district. The archival group is working with Breed’s administration to identify a potential site, hopefully by the end of the year. After a draft version of the LGBTQ cultural heritage strategy was released in 2018, a final document has yet to be adopted due to mayoral staff working with numerous city departments to determine its various funding needs. Overall responsibility for the approved strategy will fall under the purview of Clair Farley, a senior mayoral adviser who is director of the city’s Office of Transgender Initiatives. She told the Bay Area Reporter this

January 9-15, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 15

Dastan “Danik” Kasmamytov/Pink Summits

Gay activist and mountaineer Dastan “Danik” Kasmamytov, founder of Pink Summits, second from left, and his LGBT trekking group raised the rainbow flag at Mount Kilimanjaro’s summit in 2019.

such as in Europe and Asia and Oceania and Australia, it’s numbered as seven, he explained. “This is a very risky, hard thing to do for many people,” he said, recalling the moment when a member of another group in front of his group was seriously injured when he fell off a ledge on Mount Elbrus in Southern Russia. week that the strategy should be presented to various city oversight panels for approval this year. But the timeline for doing so, she added, remains unclear. “We want to look at how to move the broader strategy forward and want to look at what are the most important components for this year,” said Farley.

LGBT matters

Out in Central Asia

Kasmamytov came out to his family when he was 19 years old after studying in the United States. Two years later, he participated in a Human Rights Watch report about LGBT Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is a Central Asian country bordered by Kazakhstan in the north, Uzbekistan in the west and southwest, Tajikistan in the southwest, and China in the east. San Francisco Bay Area LGBT residents might remember Kasmamytov from 2013, when he spoke on a panel

Other items

Also on Breed’s plate in 2020 will be working closely with the gay man she hired to oversee the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and revamp its public transit system. Jeffrey Tumlin took over as the city’s director of transportation last month. In March, Breed is expected to help cut the ribbon on the new Eagle Plaza honoring the leather and LGBT communities under construction in the city’s South of Market neighborhood. Last winter Breed helped push the project on 12th Street in front of the

For a longer version of this column, go to www.ebar.com.

Legal Notices>> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-555458 In the matter of the application of: IULIIA SHMELEVA, C/O DAVID STERNFELD, LAW OFFICE OF DAVID STERNFELD, 420 THIRD ST #200, OAKLAND, CA 94607, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner IULIIA SHMELEVA, is requesting that the name IULIIA SHMELEVA, be changed to YULIA SHMELEVA. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept.103, Room 103 on the 28th of January 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 19, 26, 2019; JAN 02, 09, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038905200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: D.W. GRAPHIC & SIGN CO., 1908 QUINT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DAVISSON ZOU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/16/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/16/19.

DEC 19, 26, 2019; JAN 02, 09, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038899500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AAA ARCHITECTURE, 150 HAIGHT ST #501, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RANDOLPH R. RUIZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/31/10. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/10/19.

DEC 19, 26, 2019; JAN 02, 09, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038882100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WERTHMAN INVESTIGATIONS, 4424 3RD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NICHOLAS HOWELLS WERTHMAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/24/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/25/19.

DEC 19, 26, 2019; JAN 02, 09, 2020

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: YOUNTESS COMMUNICATION DESIGN, 1014 SHOTWELL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ASHLEY ROSE YOUNT. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/27/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/27/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GOLDEN BEAUTY SALON, 494 EDDY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SANDRA ADELA RODRIGUEZ VERA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/09/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/09/19.

DEC 19, 26, 2019; JAN 02, 09, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038884600

DEC 19, 26, 2019; JAN 02, 09, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038898100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MAD HANDYWOMAN, 501 AMAZON AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MARY ANN LORICO DESUYO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/26/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/26/19.

DEC 19, 26, 2019; JAN 02, 09, 2020

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SANFRANCISCOTIM.COM; BARBARY COAST PRESS, 1575 BAYSHORE BLVD #2158, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed TIMOTHY P. KEEFE & ELIZABETH L. BOWERMAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/24/97. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/09/19.

DEC 19, 26, 2019; JAN 02, 09, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038896100

DEC 19, 26, 2019; JAN 02, 09, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038901400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SAN FRANCISCO DOWNTOWN DENTAL STUDIO, 133 KEARNY ST #301, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BAYSAC DENTAL GROUP SAN FRANCISCO 133 KEARNY PC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/17/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/06/19.

DEC 19, 26, 2019; JAN 02, 09, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038884900

DEC 19, 26, 2019; JAN 02, 09, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038896000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE SCHOOL OF MUSIC AND MAGIC, 779 23RD AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JULIA HAY SYMINGTON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/26/10. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/26/19.

DEC 19, 26, 2019; JAN 02, 09, 2020

DEC 19, 26, 2019; JAN 02, 09, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038896700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CLOUD AND CROW GARDEN & APOTHECARY, 1322A NATOMA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KATHRYN M. DELWICHE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/09/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/09/19.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038884700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SIMPLE MARKETING CONSULTING, 501 AMAZON AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LUZ ROMERO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/26/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/26/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: D + A TEAM, 1400 VAN NESS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed THE DALE + ALLA TEAM (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/12/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: REJUVEDENT; REJUVADENT, 3580 CALIFORNIA ST, # 204, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BAYSAC DENTAL HEALTH 3580 CALIFORNIA PC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/17/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/06/19.

DEC 19, 26, 2019; JAN 02, 09, 2020

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS, 1597 HAIGHT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed MJ UNLIMITED LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/21/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/12/19.

DEC 19, 26, 2019; JAN 02, 09, 2020

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038890000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HOLLYWOOD BEAUTY THREADING, 2859A MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed HOLLYWOOD BEAUTY THREADING LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/02/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/02/19.

DEC 19, 26, 2019; JAN 02, 09, 2020

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-038720500

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: LEDA COHORT 5 FUND, 773 TEHAMA ST #1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by VINCENT CASTANEDA. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/15/19.

DEC 19, 26, 2019; JAN 02, 09, 2020 BURK CHUNG FOUNDATION

The Annual Report of the Burk Chung Foundation, 465 Clementina Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 is available at the Foundation’s office for inspection during regular business hours. Copies of the Annual Report have been furnished to the Attorney General of the State of California. Burk Chung, Trustee. Fiscal year ended November 30, 2019.

DEC 26, 2019, JAN 02, 09, 16, 2020 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-555465 In the matter of the application of: VICTORIA JEAN MCGOOGAN, 2209 GOUGH ST #2, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner VICTORIA JEAN MCGOOGAN, is requesting that the name VICTORIA JEAN MCGOOGAN, be changed to VICTORIA JEAN PHILLIPS. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept.103, Room 103 on the 30th of January 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 26, 2019, JAN 02, 09, 16, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038910800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SOLENTSA, 12 AVALON AVE #9, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed OLAYINKA SYLVIA NGUESSAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/20/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/20/19.

DEC 26, 2019, JAN 02, 09, 16, 2020

<< Legals

16 • Bay Area Reporter • January 9-15, 2020

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038903000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: X2 GREEN CARPET, 101 CALIFORNIA ST #2710, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed WILLIAM LEE CAMPERS & KIT SHUM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/13/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/13/19.

DEC 26, 2019, JAN 02, 09, 16, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038906500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LA FLEUR DISTRIBUTION; MERCURY DIME DELIVERY; SAVVAGE DELIVERY, 1555 YOSEMITE AVE #1C, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed BIG C ENTERPRISES LLC (NV). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/17/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/17/19.

DEC 26, 2019, JAN 02, 09, 16, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038903300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: OPEN WIDE SAN FRANCISCO; OPEN WIDE; OPEN WIDE DENTAL, 1196 VALENCIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by corporation, and is signed JANA SABO DDS INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/09/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/13/19.

DEC 26, 2019, JAN 02, 09, 16, 2020 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-555481

In the matter of the application of: CORBIN JEFFREY SIPOS, 2460 VAN NESS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner CORBIN JEFFREY SIPOS, is requesting that the name CORBIN JEFFREY SIPOS, be changed to CORBIN ELLIOT. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept.103, on the 6th of February 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2020 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-555480

In the matter of the application of: EUGENE ANSON VAUGHAN AND JENNIFER LUAN, 815 30TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner EUGENE ANSON VAUGHAN AND JENNIFER LUAN, is requesting that the name DYLAN LUAN VAUGHAN, be changed to AYDEN LUAN VAUGHAN. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept.103N, Room 103N on the 6th of February 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2020 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-555475

In the matter of the application of: MARGARET MINKYUNG AHN, 25 RUSS ST #2, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner MARGARET MINKYUNG AHN, is requesting that the name MARGARET MINKYUNG AHN, be changed to SARAH JIWON deMARGARET AHN. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept.103N, Room 103N on the 4th of February 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038912200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HAPPY CHILD CARE, 2649 YORBA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed XIAO-JUAN LI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/23/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/23/19 JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2020 _____________________________

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038913800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JAO ELECTRIC INC, 326 POMELO AVE, LOS BANOS, CA 93635. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed JMO ELECTRIC INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/23/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/23/19.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038912400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PART & PARCEL, 649 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed 67 VENTURES, INC (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/25/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/23/19.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038911800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CARMELINA’S TAQUERIA, 500 PARNASSUS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94143. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SUGAR JONES INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/02/02. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/23/19.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038912700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TACOREA, 620 BROADWAY, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed TACOREA NOBE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/23/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/23/19.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2020 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-555494

In the matter of the application of: CYNTHIA OLIVIA BURZYNSKA SMUZYNSKA, 579 BELVEDERE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner CYNTHIA OLIVIA BURZYNSKA SMUZYNSKA, is requesting that the name CYNTHIA OLIVIA BURZYNSKA SMUZYNSKA, be changed to CYNTHIA OLIVIA SMUZYNSKA. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter

do appear before this Court in Dept.103N, Room 103N on the 11th of February 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

HONG CHENG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/05/00. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/23/19.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-555442

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038921100

In the matter of the application of: TUA THI HUYNH, C/O NANCY A. FELLOM, CA 112522, LAW OFFICES OF FELLOM AND SOLORIO, 231 SANSOME ST, FLOOR 6, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner TUA THI HUYNH, is requesting that the name TUA THI HUYNH, be changed to PEONY HUYNH. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Room 103 on the 23rd of January 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-20-555513

In the matter of the application of: CASEY JOSEPH SONDGEROTH, 4302 17TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner CASEY JOSEPH SONDGEROTH, is requesting that the name CASEY JOSEPH SONDGEROTH, be changed to CASEY JOSEPH RANDO. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept.103 on the 20th of February 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038922200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BISMARK AUTO BODY & PAINT, 1670 15TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BISMARK A. LOAISIGA SANTAMARIA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/20/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/31/19.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038927200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JM EDUCATION & WELLNESS, 3628 23RD STREET, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JENNY MORALES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/30/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/30/19.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038919600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LIFTOPIA INSURANCE SOLUTIONS, 350 SANSOME ST #925, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed LIFTOPIA, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/27/19.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038903300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: OPEN WIDE SAN FRANCISCO; OPEN WIDE; OPEN WIDE DENTAL, 1196 VALENCIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed JANA SABO DDS INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/09/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/13/19.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038926200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WELLNESS NAILS CARE, 405 ARGUELLO BOULEVARD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed TIFFINY DINH & GIAU MAI HUYNH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/02/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/02/20.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038918700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KANDA YOGA SCHOOL, 1426 FILLMORE ST, #203, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ALISON SMITH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/03/20.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CASTELLANOS TRANSPORT SERVICE LLC., 1788 19TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed CASTELLANOS TRANSPORTATION SERVICE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/27/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/27/19.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038909000

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038905500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AMY DRY CLEAN SERVICE, 2551 25TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed AMY ZHI FEN LI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/18/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/18/19.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038930900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FRANCESCAS FLOWERS AND GARDENS, 828 SAN DOMINGO DR., SANTA ROSA, CA 95404. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed FRANCESCA PEREZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/01/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/07/20.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038926500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BALBOA ICE CREAM, 1844 SAN JOSE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MIGUEL A. PINEDA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/03/20.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038915000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SOMESHINE CO.; SLOWDRIP HQ; MORENOPROJECTS, 1743 46TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed GREG MORENO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/24/19.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038920200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TRUBAY, 677 CAROLINA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DONALD WICKLIFF. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/17/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/30/19.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038901300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BAYSIDE MUSIC, 1301 GATEVIEW AVE #C, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94130. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BRENT ELBERG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/12/19.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038905900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ON-SITE ADVERTISING, 1592 UNION ST, #167, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DIANE PERLMUTTER REYNOLDS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/23/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/16/19.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038921200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HOMECOMING CLEAN SF, 840 POST ST #214, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TAWNY S. PETERSON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/30/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/30/19.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038912800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SUNSET BOULEVARD CHILD CARE; SH INTERNATIONAL, 3150 LAWTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SANDY X.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BRUNELLO CUCINELLI, 116 GRANT AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed BRUNELLO CUCINELLI USA RETAIL LLC (NY). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/23/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/16/19.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038902800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MUST SEE, 995 MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed MUST SEE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/10/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/13/19.

JAN 09, 13, 23, 30, 2020 SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA RAPID TRANSIT DISTRICT REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 6M8171 EXTENSION OF TIME FOR RECEIPT OF PROPOSALS

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the General Manager of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District has extended the time for receipt of Proposals until the hour of 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, January 14, 2020 at the District Secretary’s Office, 23rd Floor, 300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, California 94612, TO PROVIDE GENERAL CONSTRUCTION OVERSIGHT SERVICES CONSULTANT, Request For Proposal No. 6M8171. Dated at Oakland, California, this 31st day of December 2019. /s/ Jacqueline R. Edwards for Patricia K. Williams, District Secretary San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District 1/9/20 CNS-3328535# BAY AREA REPORTER

January 2020 Outreach The SFMTA is currently conducting a survey to better understand perceptions of sharing rides in San Francisco. To connect San Franciscans safely, equitably, and sustainably to their communities, we must make more efficient use of our street infrastructure. Increasing vehicle occupancy through shared rides, either in carpools or shared ride-matching apps, is one way to more efficiently utilize our existing street space. We are trying to identify priorities for San Francisco residents and the barriers they face when considering using shared ride options through this survey. Take the survey at sfmta.com/projects/shared-rides-pilot Car Dealerships/Fleet Managers Needed Join us for an exclusive networking event at SFO on Thursday, January 23, 2020, from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm with major rental car companies. Learn how the Airport Concession Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE) program can help you supply their fleet. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/car-dealership-acdbe-outreach-event-tickets85665077553?aff=affiliate1 From time to time our City’s 9-1-1 dispatchers also receive calls for things that are not emergencies like reporting a blocked driveway or to report a car break-in (when the assailant is long gone). For these circumstances, it’s best to dial 3-1-1 where expert staff can provide information on a variety of non-emergency City services, both over the phone and on the 311 app. Keep 9-1-1 available for police, fire and medical emergencies. You could be saving someone’s life by making the right call when it comes to dialing 9-1-1 (or not). Sunshine Ordinance Task Force The Task Force advises the Board of Supervisors and provides information to other City departments on appropriate ways in which to implement the Sunshine Ordinance (Chapter 67 of the Administrative Code); to ensure that deliberations of commissions, boards, councils and other agencies of the City and County are conducted before the people and that City operations are open to the people’s review. Upcoming term expirations or vacancies: Vacant Seat 1, succeeding Matthew Cate, resigned, must be nominated by the local chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and be an attorney, for the unexpired portion of a two-year term ending April 27, 2020. Vacant Seat 4, succeeding Pixie (Rishi) Chopra, resigned, must be a journalist from a racial/ethnic-minority-owned news organization and nominated by the New California Media, for a two-year term ending April 27, 2021. Vacant Seat 8, succeeding Frank Cannata, resigned, must have demonstrated interest in, or have experience in, the issues of citizen access and participation in local government, for the unexpired portion of a two-year term ending April 27, 2020. Seat 11, succeeding Fiona Hinze, term expiring April 27, 2019, must have demonstrated interest in, or have experience in, the issues of citizen access and participation in local government, for a two-year term ending April 27, 2021. The City and County of San Francisco encourage public outreach. Articles are translated into several languages to provide better public access. The newspaper makes every effort to translate the articles of general interest correctly. No liability is assumed by the City and County of San Francisco or the newspapers for errors and omissions.

CNS-3324653#

NOTICE OF ENTRY OF JUDGMENT ON SISTER-STATE JUDGMENT Case No. RG18909704 Alameda County Superior Court 1225 Fallon St. Oakland, CA 94612 Rene C. Davidson Courthouse

Plaintiff: Tapestry on Central Condominium Association Defendant: Dean Arbit 1. TO JUDGMENT DEBTOR: Dean Arbit 2. YOU ARE NOTIFIED a. Upon application of the judgment creditor, a judgment against you has been entered in this court as follows: (1) Judgment creditor: Tapestry on Central Condominium Association (2) Amount of judgment entered in this court: $15,034.81 b. This judgment was entered based upon a sister-state judgment previously entered against you as follows: (1) Sister state: Arizona (2) Sister-state court: Encanto Justice Court, 620 W. Jackson, Phoenix, AZ 85003; transferred to Maricopa County Superior Court, 125 W. Washington, Phoenix, AZ 85003 (3) Judgment entered in sister state on: August 5, 2013 (4) Title of case and case number: Tapestry on Central Condominium Association v. Dean Arbit and Jane Doe Arbit, CC2012-127983; TJ2014-000891 3. A sister-state judgment has been entered against you in a California Court. Unless you file a motion to vacate the judgment in this court within 30 DAYS after service of this notice, this judgment will be final. This court may order that a writ of execution or other enforcement may issue. Your wages, money, and property could be taken without further warning from the court. If enforcement procedures have already been issued, the property levied on will not be distributed until 30 days after you are served with this notice. Date: June 18, 2018 by: S/Erica Romero, Deputy

NOTICE TO THE PERSON SERVED: You are served as an individual judgment debtor. B. Austin Baillio, Esq. (SBN 247535) Maxwell & Morgan, P.C. 4854 East Baseline Rd., Suite 104 Mesa, Arizona 85206 Telephone No: 480-833-1001 Attorney for: Tapestry on Central Condominium Association 1/2, 1/9, 1/16, 1/23/20 CNS-3326425# BAY AREA REPORTER

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Mark Finch

Music 2020

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Clean sweep

Vol. 50 • No. 2 • January 9-15, 2020

www.ebar.com/arts

Let’s do the Time Warp again! by David-Elijah Nahmod

Tim Curry as Dr. Frank N. Furter, Barry Bostwick as Brad Majors, and Susan Sarandon as Janet Weiss in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

20th Century Fox

ard to believe that it’s been 45 years since audiences first danced in the aisles and shouted back at the screen at showings of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” The low-budget musical comedy/ horror-movie spoof began as a stage show at a small theater in London in 1973. When the film, which features several members of the stage cast, premiered in 1975, it was universally derided by critics. But then something happened when the Waverly Theater in New York City began showing the film on Fridays and Saturdays at Midnight. See page 22 >>

David Lynch & the darkness next door by Sura Wood

Laura Harring in director David Lynch’s “Mulholland Drive.”

{ SECOND OF THREE SECTIONS }

BAMPFA

“T

here are, in movies, few places creepier to spend time than in David Lynch’s head,” Manohla Dargis wrote in The New York Times. “It is a head where the wild things grow, twisting like vines and taking us into their captive embrace.” Lynch has also been called a pornographic fabulist whose powerful, dense imagery imprinted itself on the American subconscious and never let go. One of cinema’s great visual stylists, the former fine art student and Eagle Scout from Montana has been mixing a singular brew of expressionism, surrealism, the macabre and emotional longing, and sharing his nightmarish fever dreams with audiences for over 40 years. See page 18 >>

<< Film

18 • Bay Area Reporter • January 9-15, 2020

Remembering Mark Finch, 25 years later by Jenni Olson

Mark was colleague, friend, mentor, neighbor, copy editor/co-writer, and my fictional twin sister, Bree – short for Sabrina, his favorite Charlie’s Angel (really he just adored Kate Jackson). I was his twin brother Jim – short for Jimbo Stark, James Dean’s character in “Rebel Without a Cause.” With his loving, effusive support of everything I did in my work and my personal life, he made it feel like he was also my biggest fan. Twenty-five years later, Mark’s suicide is still incomprehensible to me. Mark’s legacy has been kept alive by many friends and colleagues over the decades. Frameline’s 1995 festival was dedicated to his memory, as was the (now dearly departed) PlaneOut.com PopcornQ website. Various highlights of his writings and criticism have been re-published (most recently, many of his horror film reviews have been revived by Diabolique magazine). The Mark Finch Memorial Facebook page remains a loving forum for the reminiscences of our old friends and colleagues. Over the years I’ve scanned a selection of his papers, and one of my next projects (hopefully soon) is to scan Mark’s meticulously organized files on the history of the London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival and ship them off to the British Film Institute archives. Highlights include his charming correspondence with filmmakers like Marlon Riggs, Warren Sonbert, Su Friedrich, George Kuchar, Christine Vachon and other queer cinema luminaries. Whether he was expressing his affection for the camp pleasures of Pee-Wee Herman or offering his uniquely British appreciation of our 24-hour Market Street Safeway, Mark exuded a boyish enthusiasm and bright-eyed joy for life. He was a dedicated friend and colleague, a passionate advocate for queer filmmakers, a super-smart film festival organizer whose professionalism

helped elevate Frameline enormously. He was also utterly charming and handsome. Justin Vivian Bond once introduced him (perfectly) as “the man with the sexiest lips in show business.” It was in his gay porn reviews for the B.A.R. that Mark demonstrated the full range of his digressive, giddy (to use one of his favorite words) humor. Jumping off from the conventions of porn criticism, he crafted a kind of hybrid form that was part review and part personal comic diary. His weekly reviews of the latest releases from Falcon, Catalina, In Hand Video, etc., generally offered the standard basics, sketching a few scenes with mentions of the stars, before he would then reel off random tangents about his flatmate Ron Zuckerman, his dates and boyfriends of the moment, his comic laments on gay life in San Francisco, replete with name-dropping of the bars, clubs, and public figures of the time (Macy’s, Safeway, Café Flor, Zuni).

“The Elephant Man,” with a top-notch John Hurt as John Merrick, a disfigured Victorian carnival side-show attraction who finds salvation and a measure of dignity; “Lost Highway” and the “The Straight Story,” where the late Richard Farnsworth, with his weathered face and kindly, ancient eyes, starred BAMPFA as an elderly farmer who Naomi Watts and Laura Harring in drives across the Midwest on his lawnmower to “Mulholland Drive.” visit his dying brother. derangement where what we rely Lynch has described this on, a predictable reality, is thoruncharacteristically folksy advenoughly shaken. Behind the radiator, ture as his most experimental film, beneath the severed ear, beside the explaining in his inimitable way that bottle of Pabst Blue Ribbon dwell “tenderness can be just as abstract as disturbing desires that threaten our insanity.” comforting innocence.” Many had their first encounter The severed ear Seid refers to was with Lynchworld in his queasy 1977 a ghoulish clue that surfaced in “Blue directorial debut “Eraserhead,” Velvet,” a kinky, noirish descent into a demented cult classic, shot in depravity. Lynch orchestrates an atblack-and-white, about a naïf with mosphere of danger and dread in a a pregnant girlfriend who spawns lurid tale that unfolds in a Norman a grossly deformed offspring; those Rockwell town stuck in the 1950s. easily grossed out need not apply. He assembled a terrific cast of odd Unfolding in an alienating urban characters: the pure-hearted, truelandscape, this exercise in body blue blonde (Laura Dern); a mashorror, with its repulsive fluids, ochistic torch singer and seductress, fixation on sex, not-quite-dead played by Rossellini, who nearly runs dinner entrees and birth revulsion, away with the movie; Dennis Hopincited and polarized audiences. per as a coked-up, sadistic hoodlum “When ‘Eraserhead’ was making who uses his abduction of Rosselthe rounds in the 70s, I took a first lini’s husband and son to coerce her date to the Roxie to see it,” recalls sexually; and the clean-cut college BAMPFA’s former media curator, kid (Kyle McLachlan) who stumbles Steve Seid. “Halfway through the upon the aforementioned ear. film, she turned to me and said in Berkeley author and screenwriter an unconsciously loud voice, ‘I don’t Barry Gifford, who worked on two think I like this anymore.’ The audifilms with Lynch, whom he met ence chuckled. And our relationship in 1989, will introduce the Feb. was doomed.” Lynch’s cautionary 14 screening of “Wild at Heart,” tales, he says, “present an empathic

which takes its inspiration and 80% of its dialogue from one of Gifford’s six “Sailor and Lula” novels; and “Lost Highway,” which they cowrote and hoped would be made in black & white. (It wasn’t.) Set in motion by a jazz musician’s murder of his wife, “Lost Highway” trots out morphing identities and looka-likes, by now familiar Lynchian tropes, plus a seedy porn underworld and an enigmatic figure notoriously portrayed by Robert Blake in white Kabuki makeup. “With ‘Lost Highway’ we went the farthest, took the most chances, and got slapped for it in some quarters,” Gifford ruefully observed in a conversation we had several years ago. “Now there are books and college courses about it. People got confused that the main character became someone else. Have they never read Kafka?” It’s worth catching these screenings to hear Gifford, an articulate raconteur with a colorful, picaresque past and pithy insights into Lynch and writing for the screen. “If ‘Blue Velvet’ acted as the blueprint for Lynch’s films, then ‘Mulholland Drive’ is his career’s thesis statement,” wrote Christopher Runyon in Movie Mezzanine. “All of his thematic obsessions and visual motifs coalesce in this one film. The dualities between dreams and reality, blondes and brunettes, dayworlds and underworlds, American iconography and American Dreams,

rts Editor Roberto Friedman writes: “Local queer filmmaker and former Frameline festival programmer Jenni Olson offers up a remembrance of her festival codirector Mark Finch. Olson and Finch also co-wrote the B.A.R.’s Out There column together in 1994.” Twenty-five years ago (on Jan. 14, 1995), the world lost one of the leading figures in LGBT cinema. During the last decade of his tragically short life, Mark Finch was a passionate champion of queer film and queer filmmakers. His Golden Gate Bridge suicide on that rainy Saturday sent shockwaves across the international film community as his friends and colleagues grappled with the loss. In those weeks, months and years after Mark’s death, colleagues from around the world mourned his loss. Obituaries and remembrances appeared in Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, The Advocate, The Guardian [UK], and the San Francisco Chronicle. At the time of his death, Mark was artistic director of the San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, now better known as Frameline’s San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival. A seminal figure in queer cinema, Mark was a co-founder of the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (now known as BFI Flare: London LGBTQ+ Film Festival) as well as the BFI Lesbian and Gay Film Festival Tour, which brought queer cinema to regional cinemas across the UK. During his tenure as head of distribution at the British Film Institute he brought LGBT films to the forefront and was responsible for the creation and management of the BFI’s lesbian and gay home video line. Prior to being Frameline’s festival director (1992-94) he had also headed up Frameline Distribution. Mark wrote

David Lynch

From page 17

The artist behind the “Twin Peaks” TV series and the heavy sensuality of the deliriously bizarre, operatic, ultimately toxic Hollywood fantasy “Mulholland Drive” gets a well-deserved if incomplete retrospective at BAMPFA. “Next Door to Darkness: The Films of David Lynch” includes flawed masterpieces such as “Blue Velvet,” dominated by Isabella Rossellini as we had never seen her;

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Jenni Olson

Mark Finch in October 1994.

profusely about LGBT cinema for a variety of publications in the US and UK, including Sight & Sound, The Advocate, the SF Bay Guardian, and London’s Capital Gay. He was well-known and loved as one of San Francisco’s most entertaining gay gossip columnists (under his pseudonym Aiva Nidnacs), writing for both the Bay Area Reporter and Odyssey. Using such pseudonyms as Charm Fink and John Thomas, he also wrote wildly entertaining gay adult-film reviews for the B.A.R. and the dearly departed San Francisco Sentinel. Some of his film anthology contributions include an account of the history of LGBT cinema for the “Political Companion to American Film” (Lakeview, 1994), his appreciation of filmmaker George Kuchar for “Queer Looks” (Routledge, 1993) and his seminal (if you will) reflection on “Lonesome Cowboys” for “Andy Warhol, Film Factory” (1989, BFI). One of his other greatest contributions to LGBT film scholarship was his creation of the pioneering queer filmography in the revised edition of Richard Dyer’s “Gays & Film” (New York Zoetrope, 1984). During our three glorious years at the helm of the oldest and largest LGBT film festival on the planet,

Courtesy Jenni Olson

Mark Finch was artistic director of the San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival.

In his freewheeling take on one of Falcon’s 1992 releases, he quips, “‘The Abduction’ stars Craig Caldwell in a fanciful drama set in a dungeon, or a Spanish restaurant; I couldn’t tell.” The “review” made Falcon’s marketing director so unhappy he threatened to stop sending press screeners to the B.A.R. if Mark didn’t take their films more seriously. “We sincerely request that you subject our videos to normal and fair scrutiny and that your reviewers write an assessment of our work that will be honest and of use to our customers,” Falcon humorlessly kvetched. In Mark’s 1992 tongue-in-cheek review of “Home Alone 2” (written in the style of a gay porn review), he observed, “If you rearrange subtext you get buttsex,” and points out that rearranging “Home Alone” “sort of spells ‘Lean Homo.’” In addition to his fondness for anagrams, there were his inventive, whimsical Ainagrams (created under one of his many pen names, Aiva Nidnacs, a backwards anagram for Scandinavia). Offering up his cultural criticism in a graphic form, these elaborately connected grids of free associations boasted such ambitious theorems as: “Why Kate Jackson Is the Center of the Universe (Still Has an Income),” “Why UC Berkeley Should Have a ‘Planet of the Apes’ Studies Department,” “Why Diana Rigg Reveals the Meaning of Life,” and “Why Candace Bergen Has Relevance in the 90s.” One of his best: “Why Olivia Newton-John is Still Popular.” Like his film reviews, the Ainagrams read like a frozen early-90s tableaux, a snapshot of our lives just before everything changed with the advent of the internet and cellular technology. It seems so sad that Mark never experienced these things, yet so perfect that he, too, remains frozen in that laid-back analog era of VCRs, pay phones, and Super Shuttle.t come full-circle.” Illusion and the inevitable disillusionment that follows play out here in an intricately plotted, non-linear narrative with doppelgangers and a psychological murder mystery that owe a debt to noir and Hitchcock. I saw “Mulholland Drive” when it was released in 2001, and it hit me hard. Few films have so potently conveyed the weight of erotic desire, the intoxicating, euphoric intensity it induces. A pair of lovers: an amnesiac with a sordid past played by the sumptuous Laura Harring, and Naomi Watts, an initially perky, aspiring ingénue newly arrived in Tinseltown, are under its woozy, judgment-impairing spell. A latenight tryst culminates in the wee hours in a set-piece at the Club Silencio, a hallucinatory, out-ofthe-way nightspot on a deserted, debris-strewn street in downtown LA. An a cappella singer (Rebekah Del Rio) takes the stage, belting out an emotionally rending, Spanish version of Roy Orbison’s “Crying,” a performance that brings the chanteuse and the women to their knees. Some 20 years after seeing it, the devastating sensation lingers. Was it real? It hardly matters. To enter a theater and watch a Lynch movie is to surrender to a dream.t Jan. 10-Feb. 29; check www.bampfa.org for program and ticket info.

On the web

This week find David Lamble’s round-up of “Comedy & Noir at the Castro Theatre” online at www.ebar.com.

Music>>

January 9-15, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 19

Beethoven, Violins of Hope kick off year

Stephanie Girard

Mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke is a current artist-in-residence with the San Francisco Symphony.

by Philip Campbell

here is a message of hope in every wish for a Happy New Year, and we all need every assurance we can get. Music is always a reliable source, and the start of 2020 promises heartening chances to renew our faith in the future. The San Francisco Symphony begins exciting programs curated and performed by current artistsin-residence Jan. 9-12 at Davies Symphony Hall. Mezzo-soprano

Sasha Cooke, a frequent collaborator with Michael Tilson Thomas, is first. World premiere performances of MTT’s “Meditations on Rilke” and selections from Mahler’s “Des Knaben Wunderhorn” include bass-baritone (barihunk) Ryan McKinny. Celebrations of Ludwig van Beethoven’s 250th birthday start Jan. 16-18 with MTT conducting Piano Concerto No. 2 featuring soloist Emanuel Ax. The most recognizable name in Western music

and arguably the most influential, Beethoven’s imperishable legacy deserves a big bash. The titan who bridged the Classical and Romantic eras forever resonates. The West Coast premiere of “Fountain of Youth,” an SFS co-commission by Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer Julia Wolfe, opens the bill. “Beethoven250” continues Jan. 23-25 as Dima Slobodeniouk makes his SFS debut conducting the Symphony No. 7. An example of the composer’s more optimistic side, the Seventh was also one of his own favorites. On Sun., Jan. 26, “violin royalty” Anne-Sophie Mutter, the second member of the SFS artists-in residence trio (soprano Julia Bullock is third), plays three of Beethoven’s sonatas in an evening at DSH with longtime recital partner pianist Lambert Orkis. The party runs through the season, but a special heads-up for Feb. 7-9, when revered SFS Conductor Laureate Herbert Blomstedt (renowned Beethoven master) returns to DSH to conduct the Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 21. Written as the composer began to acknowledge his increasing deafness, the Second still maintains a happy attitude. The work’s characteristic power and wisdom attest to Beethoven’s unbreakable spirit. SFS Music Director Designate Esa-Pekka Salonen leads the orchestra Feb. 27-29 in the Overture to “King Stephen,” with other works that include Salonen’s own Violin Concerto with soloist Leila Josefowicz, and Carl Nielsen’s sweeping Symphony No. 5. www. sfsymphony.org. Music at Kohl Mansion’s presentation of “Violins of Hope San Francisco Bay Area” includes public performances, exhibitions, forums, films and events Jan. 16-March 15, coinciding significantly Jan. 27

with International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The date marks the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau to honor the victims of Nazism. In 2020, the need to confront and remember the past remains incontrovertible. “Violins of Hope [VOH]” is a deeply moving and informative project that helps us note and better understand the incomprehensible. A private collection of violins, violas and cellos assembled since the end of WWII all belonged to Jews before and during the war. To quote the project’s website: “All instruments were symbols of hope and a way to say: remember me, remember us. Life is good, celebrate it for those who perished, for those who survived. For all people.” Father and son luthiers (violinmakers) Amnon and Avshalom Weinstein, who work in Tel Aviv and Istanbul, own the collection. They ensure surviving instruments, mostly “rather cheap and unsophisticated,” are renewed with

Courtesy Amnon Weinstein

One of the so-called “Violins of Hope” coming to the Bay Area.

a sound ready to be heard triumphantly once more. “VOH” events cover the entire Bay Area. Visit: www.violinsofhopesfba.org. Some important San Francisco dates include: Jan. 17-March 14: Exhibition: “Violins of Hope, A Journey of Heroism, Healing and Humanity.” Veterans Gallery, Veterans Building, 401 Van Ness Ave., SF. Free. Tues.-Sat, 1-5 p.m. (650) 762-1130. Sun., Jan. 19 at 1.30 p.m.: Discussion/Performance: James Grymes, author of “Violins of Hope: Violins of the Holocaust, Instruments of Hope and Liberation in Mankind’s Darkest Hour.” Co-founders of “VOH” Amnon and Avshalom Weinstein appear with violinist Hannah Tarley, who performs on instruments from the collection. Contemporary Jewish Museum, 736 Mission St., SF. Tickets ($6-$16): (415) 655-7800; www.thecjm.org. Mon., Jan. 27, 7 p.m.: Discussion/Performance: International Holocaust Remembrance Day, commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz; remarks by guests including A. & A. Weinstein; musical works by J.S. Bach and Hans Krasa performed by New Century Chamber Orchestra, with pianist Simone Dinnerstein; excerpts from Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s “Intonations: Songs from the Violins of Hope” with mezzosoprano Nikola Printz, violinist Hannah Tarley and a string quartet from San Francisco Opera Orchestra. Presented by Music at Kohl Mansion in association with Congregation Emanu-El, the Consulate General of Israel, San Francisco Interfaith Council and Jewish Family and Children’s Services Holocaust Center. Congregation Emanu-El, 2 Lake St., SF. Free with reservations (650) 762-1130; https://tinyurl. com/Jan-27-tickets.t

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<< Books

20 • Bay Area Reporter • January 9-15, 2020

‘Cleanness’ is in the I of the beholder by Tim Pfaff

hat would Henry James think? is not the most useful question that could be asked about Garth Greenwell’s fiction, but if The Master were our contemporary, he might opt instead for the role of slave in “Cleanness” (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), Greenwell’s new collection. Its second story, “Gospodar,” is a raw account of an internet-initiated S&M hookup so minutely observed that readers seeking porn only will avert their eyes. In the most supreme of ironies, they couldn’t take it. The nine stories of “Cleanness” explore the same terrain as Greenwell’s seismic debut novel “What Belongs to You” both thematically and geographically, but they are to outtakes as lives are to obituaries. They rarely leave the post-Soviet cityscape of Sofia, Bulgaria and the barely demilitarized zone of manman love. These unsparing narratives negate but in no way neutralize the very idea of taboo, an old testament supplanted by a new one, of love both fueled and refined by desire so volcanic it sears everything it touches with hot lava. Like its precursor, it drops spatterings of transliterated Bulgarian at a rate just shy of infuriating, saved by a colloquial translation no more than a comma splice or two away, where they become like sweet

Oriette D’Angelo

“Cleanness” author Garth Greenwell.

whispers in the reader’s ear. Anyone with the slightest brush with Slavic opera, chant or song will respond at a primal level to all of the forms of Gospodi – lord – a word with all the overtones Greenwell needs and exploits in all its declensions and nouns of address, Gospodxx as unretractable as a bumper sticker. In “Gospodar,” the first-person narrator common to all the stories exposes himself in all respects to one of two principal characters in the collection not identified by a lonely, protective initial, “R.,” “G.,”

“Z.,” as I didn’t notice until the fifth reading. This “he” is a Goliath of a pronoun, and the only one that would do. Already hard, “I” climbs stairs to the lair of “an unhandsome man; it was clear that he had never been attractive, or that his primary attraction had always been the bearing he had either been born with or cultivated, the pose of uncaring that seemed to draw all value into itself, that seemed entirely self-sufficient. He would never be called a faggot, I thought, whatever the nature of his desires.”

The author brings a completist’s fetish to an all-inclusive taxonomy of desires. The revelries have barely begun “when he spat on me … it was like a spark along the track of my spine, who knows why we take pleasure in such things, it’s best not to look into it too closely.” Already this remark flaunts a chilling, high hilarity. Soon, “Whatever chemical change desire is had taken hold and I was lit up with it.” What ensues are acts of brutality punctuated by practiced, continued expectoration, which itself becomes a kind of kiss. For “I” it is all in “the pleasure of service.” The graphic language remains in service to I’s microscopic consciousness of every move. In a euphemism Greenwell would never indulge, the supplicant remains “present” throughout the ordeal, but the account of every lash, every breath choked on cock, becomes as transporting as locating, what we used to call transcendental. The obverse of “Gospodar” is “The Little Saint,” about which all you need to know for now is that a countervailing consciousness surveils it. “It was important to seem like I didn’t care about his pleasure

but I did care about it, very much.” Very much; Henry James in colloquial modern American. “Cleanness” is the first of a trio of what for many will be even more excruciating stories, chronicling a two-year, committed (take that as you will) relationship with R., whom we met in “What Belongs to You” with all but a promise that he would not be a keeper, except of others. The milder, bait-andswitch bondage ritual with R. goes, agonizingly, to its breaking point. “I was struck again by his beauty, which was offhand and accidental, … stripped of self-regard, … a kind of physical force, not welcoming me but pushing me off, so that I was always astonished that I could take him in my arms.” Early on, R., Portuguese, and “I,” American, call each other Skupi, Bulgarian for “dear” in both its quotidian and divine guises. “I think it was then, when we first uttered the word, that I realized that I was caught by him, that however things turned out they would have consequences.” Unremittingly, the words transform Greenwell’s post-Soviet Sophia into a post-lapsarian heaven and hell of wisdom, a ruined Eden recollected in a cognate of tranquility. As “I” says of the little saint, also initial-deprived, “It did have an end, what I had felt, its end was here, he had brought me here.”t

Remembering Jerry Herman by Brian Bromberger

erry Herman, an incomparable gay Broadway composer-lyricist who wrote three of the greatest American musicals, died of pulmonary complications on Dec. 26 at the age of 88. Many critics saw Herman as Irving Berlin’s successor, a fitting tribute, as Berlin’s 1946 show “Annie Get Your Gun” was Herman’s inspiration to pursue musical theater. Herman was very much in Broadway’s Tin Pan Alley tradition, meaning catchy, cheerful tunes that people remembered. For Herman, every song had to have emotional content at its center. His first Broadway show, “Milk and Honey” (1961) concerned American widows seeking husbands while touring Israel. It earned him his first Tony nomination and

led producer David Merrick to ask him to score a new musical based on Thornton Wilder’s comedy “The Matchmaker,” which became “Hello Dolly.” Herman composed four of the songs in a creative outburst over a weekend, which brought Merrick’s legendary response, “Kid, the show is yours.” With a career-defining performance by Carol Channing and stunning choreography by Gower Champion, “Dolly” (1964) became a phenomenon, winning 10 out of 11 Tonys. It would run for seven years. Louis Armstrong’s recording of the title song became the #1 single, and Pres. Lyndon Johnson made it his reelection campaign theme song. “Dolly” was resurrected memorably in 2017, capturing Tonys for Best Revival of a Musical, Actress (Bette Midler) and Featured Actor (gay Gavin Creel).

2004 & 10 revivals. Herman’s second triHerman stopped writing umph was “Mame,” starmusicals, though he wrote ring the incandescent a few songs for the 1996 TV Angela Lansbury, based movie “Mrs. Santa Claus” on gay Patrick Dennis’ and its star Angela Lansnovel about his eccentric bury. According to the New Auntie Mame. The film, York Times obituary, Herregrettably starring Lucille man made stage history as Ball, was a commercial the first composer-lyricist and critical flop. Herman to have three musicals run followed with several unmore than 1,500 consecusuccessful musicals: “Dear World” (1969), “Mack tive Broadway performancand Mabel” (1974), about es. His other accolades inthe relationship between clude a 2009 Tony Lifetime silent screen director Achievement Award and Mack Sennett and star the Kennedy Center Honor Mabel Normand; and in 2010. “The Grand Tour” (1979). Openly gay from the Herman believed “Mack start, Herman had a sixand Mabel” was his best year relationship with score, but it was bucking Martin Finkelstein, a dethe rock-musical trend signer who died of AIDS popular at that time. Still, in 1989. Herman was it has enjoyed cult success, public about being HIV+ and will be revived this and credited experimental February at New York City drugs with saving his life Center. in the late 1980s. His longAfter a 17-year drought, time partner Terry Marler Herman hit gold with “La survives him. In his 1996 memoir “Showtune,” HerCage aux Folles” (1983), New York Theater man wrote, “People used based on the hit French Broadway composer-lyricist Jerry Herman as a to put me down for writfilm about a middle-aged young man: “I am what I am.” ing upbeat songs, as if the gay couple, Albin and feelings I put into them George, who run a drag were not genuine. I write club. George’s son falls in them “I Am What I Am.” It was the the way I feel, and these sentiments love with the daughter of conservafirst Broadway musical about gay are honest. We all have to write from tive parents, whom they must meet relationships. Herman insisted that our own life experience. I can’t help and hide their true identity. With a the musical’s impact was due to its writing melodic showtunes that are book by gay “Torch Song Trilogy” not being militant, but entertaining. bouncy, buoyant, and optimistic. playwright-actor Harvey Fierstein, It was a huge success, winning the That’s me. And I am what I am.”t the musical produced the gay anTony for Best Musical, and for its

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by David Lamble

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ean Streets” (1973) Forty-six years before “The Irishman,” director Martin Scorsese put himself on the cinematic map with this penetrating docudrama of Lower Manhattan’s Little Italy neighborhood. The cast is brilliant, with Harvey Keitel as

the conscience-stricken Scorsese alter ego, and Robert De Niro as the loose cannon Johnny Boy, whose ability to tease and bait the hood’s “made men” is the film’s brutal engine. With a screenplay co-written by Mardik Martin. Bonus features: Commentary by Martin Scorsese, vintage featurette “Mean Streets Back on the Block.”t

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<< DVD

22 • Bay Area Reporter • January 9-15, 2020

Hollywood’s mordant self-fascination by Tavo Amador

Rocky Horror

From page 17

Audiences began dressing up as the characters. People would throw rice at the film’s opening wedding scene. “Shadow casts” would stand in front of the screen and perform the entire film simultaneously with the movie. Soon, theaters across the country and around the world were following suit, and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” became a bona fide phenomenon. The film was especially popular with LGBT audiences, who embraced its message of sexual liberation and androgyny, as well as its then-daring presentations of bisexuality. “‘Rocky Horror’ means a great deal to me because I feel like I really

Gilbert Roland). Her betrayal has fateful consequences. As that sexy, unfaithful wife, Gloria Grahame steals each of her scenes. She knows her husband can barely keep his hands off her. “James Lee, you have a naughty mind, I’m happy to say,” she purrs. When her flirting with Gaucho at a party angers him, her allure easily tames him. She won the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her brilliant performance. Sullivan, a fine actor who seldom got leading parts or the recognition he merited, makes the most of a good role in a top film. Roland is appropriately magnetic and macho. With Leo G. Carroll and Paul Stewart. Charles Schnee won an Oscar for adapting George Bradshaw’s story, which was reportedly based on legendary Broadway producer Jed Harris. Independent film mogul David Selznick (“Gone With the Wind”) felt it was about him and threatened to sue for defamation, but eventually backed down. Sometimes life imitates art. Helen Rose won an Oscar for the costumes. Robert Surtees’ exceptional cinematography garnered an Academy Award, as did the art direction-set decoration by Cedric Gibbons, Edward Carfagno, Edwin B. Willis and Keogh Gleason. Surprisingly, it wasn’t among the Best Picture nominees. The winner that year was the risible “The Greatest Show on Earth.” Minnelli was also overlooked. He would win the Best Director prize for 1958’s “Gigi.”t

the past if doing so means he will release more hit pictures produced by Jonathan. In beautifully filmed flashbacks, Harry smoothly reminds each of them of how much they owe Jonathan. Georgia, the daughter of a famous, John Barrymore-type actor, was an unemployable drunk. Jonathan saw beyond that, conquered her self-pitying hostility, warned her that her looks would fade if she didn’t quit the bottle, and gave her a part. “You acted badly, you moved clumsily, but the point is however bad you were, every eye in the audi-

ence was on you” is as good a definition of screen stardom as any. She fell in love with him, a big mistake, but survived to become a major star. He recognized Fred’s talent and gave him the opportunity to direct, helping him refine his innate gifts and develop his own vision. Without Shields, he would probably have remained a director of B pictures made on shoestring budgets with minor actors. James Lee wrote critically admired novels that few people read. But Shields asked him to adapt one for a film. It was a success. Bartlow moved to Hollywood with his vivacious, southern-belle wife Rosemary (Gloria Grahame), and they thrived. His books sold, and he adapted them for well-regarded, popular pictures. Each is forced to acknowledge the truth in what Harry tells them. But they still don’t want anything to do with Jonathan – or so they say. But clever Harry gets them to listen to Jonathan’s pitch about his latest project. Will they resist his potent appeal? Minnelli faultlessly guides his large cast. He brings out the best in each one, often getting atypical performances. His justly famed eye for beauty is evident in every scene. Turner, first billed (she was still under contract to MGM, the film’s studio), is magnificently photographed. Seldom an effective ac-

needed to discover it when I did,” said drag artist Peaches Christ, who will be hosting a 45th anniversary celebration of “Rocky Horror” at the Castro Theatre on Jan. 11. “I was a young teenager growing up in Maryland, where I felt like there just wasn’t a place for me in the world. It was the discovery of ‘Rocky Horror’ and John Waters that really showed me I could live the kind of life I wanted, and there were people out in the world who would understand me. ‘Rocky Horror’ absolutely influences my drag in that the combination of drag and horror was always something that’s been part of Peaches Christ.” Peaches offered her take on why the film has resonated with so many people.

where you heard the newest song “I think for a lot of people, Bostwick recalls his initial reacout and you could sing along with myself included, things like the tion when he first got the script to it the third time you heard it,” Bostdiscovery of ‘Rocky Horror’ had “Rocky Horror.” wick said. “The same thing with the a transformative effect on us,” she “I loved it,” he said. “I kept trying music from ‘Rocky Horror’: it was said. “We were the outcasts, the to find ways to simplify my perforaccessible, I think it was naughty weirdos, the others who didn’t fit mance and make it as real and as enough that people could just have in, and along comes a movie so genuine as possible. On the page it a great time with it.” bizarre and queer and punk rock, seems like it’s very over-the-top and where the freaks are celebrated and Bostwick feels that the film’s jokey, and then talking to Jim Sharthe squares become enlightened man, who’s the director, he always popularity remains because of its through opening their minds to emphasized the sincerity and the message of “don’t dream it, be it” (a new experiences. This was a movie reality of the characters. Where it line from one of the songs), as well with values we could celebrate, and goes wrong now when people do the as the story’s message of inclusion, of course the tradition of seeing it show on stage is that they get really of accepting who you are. at Midnight while dressed up and jokey. I think it requires simplicity “Once it became a cult thing, participating in the screening only of characters, and that’s what really people in odd little towns and small helped solidify a sense of belongmakes it work.” towns around the world found ing. It was my ‘It gets better’ video Bostwick saw Tim Curry (Dr. their people, which they probably Frank N. Furter) doing the show before that was a thing.” wouldn’t have found without ‘Rocky onstage and found him “brilliant.” The phenomenon has continued Horror,’” he said. “‘Rocky Horror’ The actor offered his own thoughts until this very day, with screendidn’t exist on video, you couldn’t on why the film touched upon a ings of the film still packing in the see it unless you went to the movnerve with so many people. crowds wherever it plays. In 2005, ies somewhere, and these evenings “I think it was sexy, the music was “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” were created and invented by small simple rock-and-roll, it had that was selected for permanent presergroups of people who threw a party thing that we had in high school vation by the Library of Congress’ every Friday and Saturday at National Film Registry for Midnight.” being “culturally, historically Theater owners were part or aesthetically significant.” of the phenomenon, Bostwick The Castro Theatre event feels, encouraging the celebrawill include a screening of the tion and allowing audiences to film along with appearances dance in the aisles and to throw by cast members Patricia things at the screen. “When it Quinn (Magenta), Nell “Little gets down to it, it’s really about Nell” Campbell (Columbia) sex, drugs and rock-and-roll,” and Barry Bostwick (Brad Bostwick said. “And that will Majors). For Bay Area nanever go out of style.” tive Bostwick, the event is a He noted that the world has homecoming. changed considerably since the “My grandfather lived in film was first released. the Haight-Ashbury dis“I think the film was respontrict, so I spent most of the sible for some of that change,” holidays up there prior to the he said. “I think that it’s still Summer of Love,” Bostwick appropriate, because there recalled in a phone chat with are still areas and political isBay Area Reporter. “Every sues that need to be changed, time we would go to the uprooted, and brought to a city my father would drive kinder place. The film will alme around to a different ways encourage that.”t place. He knew everything about San Francisco and San The Rocky Horror Picture Mateo. He was in the indusShow, 45th Anniversary Peaches trial development business, Christ Experience, with Barry he was the VP of the San Bostwick, Nell Campbell and Mateo County Development Patricia Quinn, hosted by Courtesy the subject Association. I’m a dyed-inPeaches Christ. Sat., Jan. 11, the-wool Bay Area boy, and Actor Barry Bostwick today. 9 p.m., Castro Theatre. Tickets I wish I could afford to live ($45-$150): sfsketchfest2020. sched.com/event/Xpnk there.”

he American movie industry has long been gripped by the danger yet potent appeal of stardom. Examples include gay director George Cukor’s “What Price Hollywood?” (1932), remade in 1937 by William Wellman as “A Star Is Born,” filmed again by Cukor in 1954, by Frank Pierson in 1976, and by Bradley Cooper in 2018. Billy Wilder’s “Sunset Boulevard” (1950) is the darkest, most corrosive view of what exceptional fame can do to a person. Less well-known but equally revealing is gay director Vincente Minnelli’s “The Bad and the Beautiful” (1952). It has recently been released for home viewing using the new 4K technique, which restores the original cinematography to its sharp contrasts of deep blacks, pristine whites, and rich grays. Fabled, egomaniacal producer Jonathan Shields (Kirk Douglas) has betrayed the people who helped make him a legend. Actress Georgia Lawrence (Lana Turner), director Fred Amiel (Barry Sullivan), and writer James Lee Bartlow (Dick Powell) want nothing to do with him. They make that emphatically clear to studio honcho Harry Pebbel (Walter Pigeon), who is much more practical. He is willing to forget

tress, here she often rises to meet Minnelli’s demands and has some memorable moments, including a hypnotically overdone scene crying hysterically while driving a car in heavy rain. Try not to watch. She is believable as a movie star, if not as a great thespian, which is an example of perfect casting. Douglas, in an Oscar-nominated performance, is at his most intense. He doesn’t sugarcoat Jonathan’s combination of amoral narcissism, bullying, creativity, imagination, charm, and utter confidence in his own genius. He doesn’t ask for sympathy but demands admiration. It’s a riveting performance that holds the movie together. Pigeon, another MGM star, is at his most engaged. Best-known for his roles opposite Greer Garson in which he dutifully played a kind, supportive husband to her noble wife and mother, he here reveals a sly intelligence, a willingness to manipulate anyone for their (and his studio’s) good. Powell, who began at Warner Bros. in the 1930s as a musical comedy star in Busby Berkeley films opposite Ruby Keeler and one-time wife Joan Blondell, remade himself as Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe in “Murder My Sweet” (1944). He is totally believable as a pipe-smoking, thoughtful writer balancing commercial success and artistic integrity. He is touching when learning that his seemingly adoring wife has run off with Latinlover movie star El Gaucho (sexy

Cockettes Redux

Bye Bye Babylon

www.ebar.com

Fun on Ice Vol. 50 • No. 2 • January 9-15, 2020

Tim Lewis at Café Trieste on Market Street in 2011.

Tim Lewis

Sharon McNight

The jazz musician and graphic artist’s ‘gift of sound and vision’

Cabaret legend ‘comes home’ to Feinstein’s by David-Elijah Nahmod

ony-nominated Broadway star and cabaret legend Sharon McNight returns to San Francisco, a city she once called home. The diva extraordinaire will be performing a very special show, Homecoming: The San Francisco Years, January 15 and 16 at Feinstein’s at the Nikko. McNight wants to assure those who come to see her that they won’t have any problem hearing her. See page 25 >>

Eidos Imagery

by Michael Flanagan

im Lewis has been making music and defining the visual landscape of San Francisco for over forty years. There have been peaks during this period when he was playing as many as three gigs a night, and lows where it has been weeks before performances. See page 24 >>

Nightlife Events Jan. 9-16, 2020

Now is the winter of our discotheque, or disco, but no techno. Anyway, shake a tail-feather to cool comedy, dancing bears and Bowie tributes.

Sat 11

Bearracuda @ SF Eagle

Listings on page 26 > { THIRD OF THREE SECTIONS }

@LGBTSF

@eBARnews

<< BARchive

24 • Bay Area Reporter • January 9-15, 2020

Tim Lewis (3rd from front) with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence’s infamous 1982 Red Party.

Tim Lewis at Wahlberg Studios in San Francisco with Kelly Houston and an RCA dog statue, in 1991.

Tim Lewis

From page 23

For someone who has had a Zelig-like quality to his participation –appearing with the likes of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and Joan Jett Blakk and at venues from Josie’s to Buckley’s and the Plush Room– he maintains a charming and refreshing selfeffacing quality not often found in performers. Though Lewis was born in Palo Alto, he grew up in Santa Barbara and didn’t return to San Francisco until 1975, when he attended Lone Mountain College. There, he began his graphics career while working for The Lone Mountain Gazette. It was through the newspaper that he met his lifelong friend Cass Brayton, who worked for Anderson Graphics, the newspaper’s typesetter. Brayton would come to the attention of the general public later as Sister Mary Media of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Lewis’ performance career began in San Francisco at the Gay Community Center at 32 Page Street in

Tim Lewis at the piano in 1994.

One of Tim Lewis’ book cover designs, Physique: a Pictorial History of the Athletic Model Guild (Gay Sunshine Press, 1982).

1978 or ’79. He had been playing since age 5 and was largely selftaught. A big inspiration came when he was a teen. “When I was 15, I worked at a car-

pet store and through them inherited a bunch of 78s and sheet music,” said Lewis in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter. “It included Nat King Cole, Billie Holliday and Dinah Washington. I wouldn’t be playing piano now if I hadn’t gotten it. I didn’t know about Black music till then. While friends were listening to the Beatles, I was looking for Ella Fitzgerald records.” It was also in 1979 that Lewis’ big break came in graphic arts. He had been working as the art director of the Berkeley Barb. When that newspaper folded, he went on to become the art director of the Spectator. He developed something of a reputation as being good at airbrushing the photos of sex workers; his design work caught the attention of Gay Sunshine, who hired him to do the covers of several books in the Straight to Hell and Meatmen series. From Spectator, he went on to become the art director of Drummer. Graphic design allowed Lewis to indulge his passion for playing music, which never paid the bills. “If you want to be a musician with a million dollars, it’s easy,” he quipped. “First, start with two million dollars,” Lewis’ first stint on piano with the Sisters was on May 1, 1982 for the Red Party at the Russian Center. The Sisters were responding to Mayor Feinstein’s comment, “When I see the Sisters, I just see red!” Unfortunately the woman managing the center was the daughter of a general in the Czar’s army and failed to see the humor in red banners and hammers and sickles. It was a memorable first event, but not the last. Lewis accompanied the Sisters on the main stage at the International Lesbian & Gay Freedom Day Parade in 1983, and at the Miss Haight Ashbury contest at the Great American Music Hall in 1987. His collaboration with Sister Mary Media was a fruitful one, with Lewis wearing an altar boy costume for some of the events. His first taste of performing as a cabaret musician came courtesy of Frank Banks at the Mint in 1985. He would hang out with Banks (whom he considers a mentor as well as a friend) after the bar closed, playing music and singing with other patrons. Later, when Banks became ill in the early ’90s, Lewis was one of his caregivers and performed at his memorial at the White Swallow (1750 Polk St.) on Valentine’s Day 1993. The Mint gave Lewis the cabaret bug. After playing there, he accompanied Mitch Bandanza at Buckley’s (131 Gough St.) in 1986 and then performed at the Blue Lamp (561 Geary) in the late ’80s with a jazz

quartet for many weeks. In June 1991, when Buckley’s became Charpe’s, he did the revue Riffin’ With Mr. Cole: A Tribute to Nat King Cole with vocalist Kelly Houston. He moved the Cole tribute to Mason Street Wine Bar (342 Mason St.), where it continued through September. In 1993, he returned to Mason Street with another review, Love Songs and Other Nonsense. He also played at the Phone Booth (1398 South Van Ness) in the ’90s and in 1994 played piano for Late Nite With Joan Jett Blakk at Josie’s Cabaret (3583 16th St.). His musical work dovetailed nicely with his graphic work: he did posters for Josie’s, receiving encouragement from Josie’s’ co-owner Donald Montwill. Lewis’ performance career continued into the 2000s, with more

than a year at the original Lush Lounge (1092 Post St.), when it was a piano bar. While playing at the Lush Lounge he also performed at Mayes Oyster House (1233 Polk St.) and would move from one venue to the other with his audience. He played show tunes and accompanied Donna Sachet at the Plush Room (940 Sutter St.) for her annual Songs of the Season in 2000. One long-term performance spot for him during this period was Café Trieste (1667 Market St.) where he performed two nights a week for three and half years. Later in that run he was accompanied with bassist Kaeli Earle. In 2012 he performed with the Donovan Plant Band at the Red Devil Lounge (1695 Polk St.). What is significant about Lewis’ performance history, aside from his love of music and his drive to perform, is plain from the list of venues he performed at: The Red Devil Lounge, Café Trieste on Market, Josie’s and many of the rest are gone. His career parallels a shrinking of venues for live music in the city, and a corresponding shrinking of cabaret spaces. Though Lewis continued to perform at private parties, many of the public venues just disappeared. His graphic art, however, is still quite apparent. His latest work was the cover for Marc Huestis’ book Impresario of Castro Street: An Intimate Showbiz Memoir, which was published last summer. Aside from the work itself, what is impressive about Tim Lewis’ life in San Francisco is that he has been able to use his talents in an impressive do-it-yourself style to put together a career. Tim Lewis serves as an example that stands the test of time. Perhaps what is past can once again be prologue.t Tim Lewis Design: facebook.com/ pg/TimLewisDesignJazz/ Tim Lewis music: reverbnation. com/timlewisjazzpiano/songs

Above: Tim Lewis in 2006. Below: A 1980s ad for Tim Lewis and Kelly Houston’s concert at SF’s Charpe’s Bar & Grill.

Cabaret>>

January 9-15, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 25

Sharon McNight performing

Sharon McNight

From page 23

her performance in Starmites. Her cabaret performances have included her impersonations of many legendary ladies, such as Bette Davis and Mae West. She is also known for her interpretation of The Wizard of Oz. She has performed as The Munchkins, The Mayor, Glinda the Good Witch, The Wicked Witch, and Dorothy, all in the same show. “Everybody’s jaw dropped,” she recalled. “Because they weren’t expecting me to jump up and down and physically as well as vocally do those characterizations from the motion picture. It was a jaw-dropping moment for many people, I must say.” McNight has always had a strong connection to the LGBT community. “That was where I started,” she explained. “Not only did I have a background in theater in Modesto, where there were gay people, and when I came to theater in San Francisco there were gay people there, so it wasn’t anything new to me. I had a couple of relatives that were gay, and my mother and father didn’t make any doo-dah about it. Everyone was accepted for who they are, as long as they were polite. As long as they said thank you and please.

“Being loud was never a problem I had,” McNight tells the Bay Area Reporter by phone. “All of a sudden one day I just opened my mouth and a huge voice came out of this little person, because I played the flute, and I learned how to breathe correctly.” Though technically she no longer lives in San Francisco, McNight still has strong connections here. She says that she still has “things planted” in the city at friends’ homes, and even kept a car in the city, which she just sold. She lived here from the 1960s until 1990, and went to San Francisco State University, where she received a B.A. and an M.A. in theater. The seeds for McNight’s performing career were planted early on. Her dad was a mailman who had a piano teacher on his route. She started taking piano lessons from him in the second grade. Her best friend played the flute, and McNight followed suit in the fourth grade. Another friend was taking dance lessons, and so McNight started to study dance. “I guess my parents looked at me and said, ‘We’ve got a live wire here, we’ve got to keep her busy!’” she said. McNight said that she first came to San Francisco because it was 90 miles from Modesto, her hometown. “I wanted to go to college in San Francisco,” she said. “I had been in speech in high school and they had a speech competition in San Francisco and I went and got second place, which was a fifty-dollar scholarship… which they still owe me now that I think about it! I liked the school, and I liked the drama courses, so I came. It was the beginning of the Summer of Love and it was a good time to be in San Francisco, because it was the dawning of the age of Aquarius.” McNight has had a long and varied career in cabaret and theater. In 1989 she was nominated Sharon McNight as Sophie Tucker for the coveted Tony Award for

Sharon McNight in 1980s cabaret publicity photo.

The only place to work when cabaret started in San Francisco was gay clubs. There were gay waiters, and gay people in the audience, and cabaret started to catch on and straight people started to come in, and they ruined the business right there!” McNight added that it felt good to be around at the dawn of what was then known as gay liberation. She aligned herself with some notable causes of the day, such as No On 6, a successful 1977 campaign to beat Proposition 6, which would have barred LGBT people from teaching in public schools. “I don’t like to see people get kicked around,” she said. “I’m from the country. You don’t pick on someone who’s not your own size.” McNight has also been a staunch supporter of AIDS causes. On November 30, 2019, she was honored by the Alexander M. and June L. Maisin Foundation for her lifelong commitment to the AIDS crisis. Her name was engraved on the National AIDS Memorial in Golden Gate Park. “That was kind of the next step,” she said of her support for people with AIDS. “It was something that nobody knew what it was, all of a sudden I’d see guys I knew, like Albert, a big hefty guy, and I saw him at Cala Foods, and he had probably lost 35 pounds. It was like a signal, everybody knew, and then everybody shunned you. Lovers were breaking up. It was just not a good time. It was hard, because no one knew what it was, and the government wasn’t helping in any way. So I had to jump on the bandwagon on that one.” When she takes to the stage at Feinstein’s for her Homecoming show, she’ll be telling stories and singing songs “from those good old days.” “I wish I could get into some of the outfits that I wore then,” she says with a laugh. “But it should be fun, a lot of these are the songs that people request. We may do The Wizard of Oz; there are a couple of ballads that I’m famous for. I’ll probably do ‘Crying’, and I wrote a song called “Put a Nickel in the Jukebox and Bring Back Patti Page,’ which I’ll probably be doing. “ McNight describes the Homecoming show as oldschool show business entertainment. “I’m going to make you laugh, and I’m going to make you cry,” she said. “You’re going to forget your troubles, and when you leave, you’re going to be happier than when you walked in, and I can guarantee that.”t Sharon McNight: Homecoming; the San Francisco Years, Wed. Jan. 15, 7pm and Thu. Jan. 16, 8pm at Feinstein’s at the Nikko, 222 Mason St. $45$75 ($20 food/drink min. www.feinsteinssf.com

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<< Nightlife Events Gooch

26 • Bay Area Reporter • January 9-15, 2020

Big Top @ Beaux

Lolly Gaggers, Ruckus, Carnaby 4 @ Golden Bull, Oakland

Enjoy an extra weekend night at the Castro nightclub, plus local DJs and gogo guys and gals. $8. 8pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.Beauxsf.com

Indie, Psych, Garage rock night. $8. 9pm. 412 14th St. www.thegoldenbullbar.com

Truck Tuesdays @ Atlas

Glam Sundays @ Valencia Room

Super-cruisy night at the new semiprivate club. $10-$20. 9pm-2am. 415 10th St. www.atlas-sf.com

Sun 12

New weekly house, funk, soul T-dance with guest-DJs and no cover. 3pm9pm. 647 Valencia St. www.glamsundays.com

L-Word @ El Rio Weekly screenings of the revived lesbian TV series. 9pm. 3158 Mission St. http://www.elriosf.com/

Fri 10

David Bowie Birthday Bash @ The Chapel

For full listings, visit www.ebar.com/events

Thu 9 Comedy @ Ashkenaz, Berkeley Lisa Geduldig (Kung Pao Kosher Comedy producer) welcomes comics Zahra Noorbakhsh, Lynn Ruth Miller and Aundre the Wonderwoman at the event’s last night. $15-$25. 8pm. 1317 Ave., Berkeley. www.koshercomedy.com

Margo Seibert @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko The Broadway performer brings her cabaret concert – including songs from her debut album, 77th Street – to the elegant nightclub. $35-$55 ($20 food/drink min.). 8pm. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. www. feinsteinssf.com

Trans Filmmaker Benefit @ Saint Joseph’s Arts Society Benefit for the Privincetown Film Society’s trans-inclusive filmmakers’ funding. $250. 7pm-11pm. (celebrity discussion panels and forum, Jan 10, 10am-5pm). 1401 Howard St. www.provincetownfilmsociety.org

Who’s Your Mami Comedy @ Brava Theatre Women’s comedy night with Marga Gomez and Chelsea Bearce, Dhaya Lakshminarayanan, Justin Lucas, Glory Magaña and drag king duo ‘Sheesh and Schlong.’ $10-$15. 8pm. 2773 24th St. www.brava.org

Fri 10 Andie Main, Torio Van Grol @ Brava Cabaret The two comics perform and celebrate the release of their debut comedy albums; Curtis Cook, Emily Catalano, and JoAnn Schinderle also perform; part of SF Sketchfest. $22. 10pm. 2781 24th St. www.brava.org

Cubcake @ Lone Star DJ Stefonik spins grooves at the cubs, bears and treats special black party, with dark cruisy mabiance, rummy bears and Cubcake T-shirts for sale. $5. 9pm-2am. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

David Bowie Birthday Bash @ The Chapel The First Church of the Sacred Silversexual perform their ninth annual concert of complete albums The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars ; Jan 11 Aladdin Sane, plus encores, drag stars; Bowie attire appreciated. $25$35. 9pm. 777 Valencia St. www.thechapelsf.com

Katya Smirnoff-Skyy, Joe Wicht @ Oasis Showtunes Made Me Gay!, an extragay open mic piano bar night. 7pm. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Porchlight @ Swedish Hall Comedy and storytelling, with the theme of ‘bullies,’ with Arline Klatte, Beth Lisick, Bobcat Goldthwait, Bryan Safi, Erinn Hayes, and more; part of SF Sketchfest. $28. 7:30pm. 2174 Market St. www.sfsketchfest.com

Sundance Saloon @ Space 550 Seoul Train @ Oasis Kpop dance night with drag, performances, Asian gogo guys, dance teams, giveaways, food & DJ Peter Lo. $10. 10pm-2am. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Uhaul @ Jolene’s The popular women’s dance party returns at the new nightclub, now weekly. 10pm-2am. 2700 16th St. at Harrison. www.jolenessf.com

Sat 11 Bearracuda, BLUF @ SF Eagle Bears and leather-uniform men converge at the famous leather bar, with DJ Mateo Segade. $5-$10. 9pm2am. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

Shamilton @ Oasis Lip-syncing parody of Hamilton with an all-drag cast. $27.50-$50. 7pm. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Sugar @ The Café Weekly dance night at the renovated nightclub with a view. $10. 9pm-2am. 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

Writers With Drinks @ Make Out Room Baruch Porras-Hernandez guesthosts the night of wild storytelling, with Irene McCalphin aka Magnoliah Black, SNJV, Joe Wadlington, and Robert Andrew Perez; glitter and glam garb appreciated. $5-$20. 7pm. 3225 22nd St. www.makeoutroom.com

The popular two-stepping linedancing, not-just-country music night, with free lessons. 5pm10:30pm. Also Thursdays 6:30pm10:30pm. 550 Barneveld Ave. www.sundancesaloon.org

Mon 13 Munro's at Midnight @ Midnight Sun Drag night with Mercedez Munro. No cover. 10pm. 4067 18th St. www.midnightsunsf.com

Underwear Night @ 440 Strip down to your skivvies at the popular men's night. 9pm-2am. 440 Castro St. www.the440.com

Vamp @ Beaux Women’s weekly night with a sultry vampire theme; goth, red & black, lingerie attire welcome but not required; bondage and BDSM demos, too. DJs Olga T and Jayne Grey. $5$15. 8pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Tue 14 Boys of Bearlesque @ SF Eagle Saucy strip show performed by beardudes; Emceed by Razcal with a Z (Mr. San Francisco Leather 2018) & Jessie Dahmer (Robert Connelly) 8pm-11pm. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

Democratic Debate Viewing @ Oasis Watch the Dem. Debates. 7pm. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

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Wed 15 Freeball Wednesdays @ The Cinch Free pool and drink specials at the historic neighborhood bar. 8pm-1am. 1723 Polk St. www.cinchsf.com

GAYmes @ Port Bar, Oakland Board games night; Baila Conmigo, queer Latinx fundraiser (2nd Wed.), Wet & Wild drag shows (1st & 4th Wed.). 2023 Broadway. www. portbaroakland.com

Musical Wednesdays @ The Edge Sing along to shows tunes on video, lip-synched and live, at the Castro bar, with host Brian Kent; trivia contest, and prizes. 7pm-12am. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Pan Dulce @ Beaux Drag divas, gogo studs, DJed Latin grooves and drinks at the Hump Day fiesta, open Christmas night. 9pm2am (free before 10:30pm). 2344 Market St. www.clubpapi.com

Thu 16 Gym Class @ Hi Tops Enjoy whiskey shots from jockstrapped hotties and sexy sports videos at the popular sports bar. 10pm-2am. 2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.HiTopsSF.com

Junk @ Powerhouse MrPam and Dulce de Leche cohost the weekly underwear strip night and contest, with sexy prizes. $5.10pm2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Thump @ White Horse, Oakland Weekly electro music night with DJ Matthew Baker and guests. 9pm-2am. 6551 Telegraph Ave. www.whitehorsebar.comt

Arts Events Jan. 9-16, 2020

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January 9-15, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 27

Cockettes are Golden @ Victoria Theatre Photos by Gooch

he 50th anniversary of The Cockettes was celebrated at the Victoria Theatre on Jan. 4 with hours of numbers from original Cockettes musicals, and other songs. Produced by Dan Karkoska, the sold-out crowd including John Waters, who offered a salutory speech. Surviving Cockettes members, including composer Scrumbly Koldewyn, were honored by Sen Scott Weiner, Supe. Rafael Mandelman and sainted by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Thrillpeddlers alumni and colleagues –including Russell Blackwood, Valentine, Leigh Crow, Ruby Vixxen, Bambi Lake, Katya Smirnoff-Skyy, Diogo Zavadsky, D’Arcy Drollinger, Steven Satyricon, L. Ron Hubby, Birdie-Bob Watt, Timmy Spence and Miss X, Michael Phillis and many more– performed selections from the company’s revived Cockettes shows. Film clips by Sebastian (‘70s Cockettes filmmaker), Bill Weber and David Weissman (The Cockettes documentary) offered a glimpse back in time to this fabulous era. And, in keeping with Cockettes tradition, the Diamond Heights after-party was off the hook, and very off the record! www.cockettes.com/history t

Beach Blanket Babylon Closing @ Club Fugazi

Polar Bear Skate @ Union Square Ice Rink Photos by Steven Underhill

Photos by Ando Caulfield for Drew Altizer

each Blanket Babylon came to its last show on January 31, 2019, and California celebrities showed up in abundance, from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Governor Gavin Newsom and his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Jo Schuman Silver, Carol Shorenstein Hays, Clive Davis, and B.A.R. Publisher emeritus Thomas Horn. The show ended its 45-year run with two New Year’s eve shows. For more photos, visit www.drewaltizer.comt

020 started off brisk and witty with costumed ‘polar bear’ skaters taking to the ice in skivvies, onesies and winter-themed costumes on Jan. 1 at the Safeway Holiday Ice Rink in Union Square, which is open through Jan. 20. Union Square, 333 Post St. www.unionsquareicerink.com See more of Steven’s nightlife photo albums on BARtab’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/lgbtsf.nightlife. For more of Steven Underhill’s photos, visit www.StevenUnderhill.com.t

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